HII Partners with University of Maryland’s School of Engineering to Accelerate Defense Technologies
MCLEAN, Va., Dec. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HII (NYSE: HII) announced today that its Mission Technologies division has joined the Corporate Partners Program at the University of Maryland’s A. James Clark School of Engineering.
The partnership fosters opportunities for collaboration, access to campus facilities, and pathways for intellectual property licensing. This engagement encourages innovation while strengthening ties between academic expertise and real-world applications.
Earlier this year, Garry Schwartz, chief operating officer of Mission Technologies, was named an industry advisory board member of the University of Maryland’s Autonomous Technologies Research Innovation and eXploration (MATRIX) Lab.
“This collaboration underscores HII’s commitment to bridging industry and academia to accelerate innovation in defense and national security,” Schwartz said. “This reflects our ongoing investment in innovation leadership and dedication to advancing defense technology through strategic partnerships.”
The MATRIX Lab, located in southern Maryland and part of the Clark School, is a state-of-the-art research and education facility designed to advance autonomy and uncrewed systems. The lab maintains multiple affiliations and partnerships with the Department of War, including the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division.
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Funds generated through the Corporate Partners Program support recruitment and internship opportunities, scholarships, student activities, competitions, awards, conferences, and other initiatives that directly benefit students and faculty.
Mission Technologies’ sponsorship will also establish the HII Lecture Series, convening thought leaders from government, industry, and academia to explore emerging technologies, address mission challenges, and identify opportunities for collaboration.
"The Clark School and the MATRIX Lab look forward to converging our research excellence with HII’s industry vision to solve the grand challenges ahead for Maryland and the nation as a whole," said Dr. Reza Ghodssi, executive director of research and innovation.
About the A. James Clark School of Engineering
The A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland serves as the catalyst for high-quality research, innovation, and learning, delivering on a promise that all graduates will leave ready to impact the Grand Challenges of the 21st century. The Clark School is dedicated to leading and transforming the engineering discipline and profession, to accelerating entrepreneurship, and to transforming research and learning activities into new innovations that benefit millions. For more information, visit .
About the MATRIX Lab
The MATRIX Lab is a hub for autonomous technologies and uncrewed systems research in Southern Maryland. Its lab spaces are available for both students and professionals to reserve and work in. For more information, visit .
About HII
HII is a global, all-domain defense provider. HII’s mission is to deliver the world’s most powerful ships and all-domain solutions in service of the nation, creating the advantage for our customers to protect peace and freedom around the world.
As the nation’s largest military shipbuilder, and with a more than 135-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII delivers critical capabilities extending from ships to unmanned systems, cyber, ISR, AI/ML and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HII’s workforce is 44,000 strong. For more information, visit:
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Contact:
Greg McCarthy
(202) 264-7126
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
