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stage for an important partnership between defense, non- 

 defense and educational institutions in a collaborative 

 exploration in both dual-use and marine technology 

 development. Without fault to these participants, what is 

 lacking in this strategic partnership is two vital 

 components. First, declining federal funding in oceanography 

 and particularly defense conversion programs has limited the 

 opportunities for these innovative partnerships to progress 

 into the most critical phase of technology development, that 

 is, manufacturing extension and commercialization. We are 

 finding ourselves rapidly becoming a region, and possibly a 

 nation, of having great ideas, but little opportunity for 

 translating those ideas into practical and profitable goods 

 and services. 



Second, we must recognize that the private sector is 

 best equipped to create economic opportunity and development. 

 Government will and should continue to play the important 

 role of "pump priming" through support of research and 

 development resources such as the Ocean Technology Center. 

 The private companies that I have identified today are well 

 suited to transfer defense technologies into licensable 

 commercial technologies. It is critical that their access to 

 laboratories and research facilities in institutions of 

 higher education and federal laboratories be fully available. 



In closing, there is a unique potential that exists, 

 particularly here in southern New England, to address the 

 emerging challenges of integrating defense technology with 



