Partners plan secure innovation center at Hazelwood Green

Federal, state and regional partners are building an 11,000-square-foot commercial classified facility in Pittsburgh’s Mill 19 to give companies and researchers secure access for defense work. The project aims to remove a key infrastructure gap, attract tenants and speed technology transition for national security programs.

Why it matters: - The facility is meant to give Pennsylvania companies, universities and government partners a secure place to work on classified defense projects. - The project could expand the region’s defense innovation ecosystem and help more technologies move from development to operational use. - The partnership is also expected to support economic development through construction jobs and future tenant activity.

What happened: - The Defense Innovation Unit’s Bridge Program, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, RIDC, Parallax Advanced Research and Fort Pitt Secure are establishing a commercial, shared classified facility in RIDC’s Mill 19 at Hazelwood Green. - The facility will be 11,000 square feet and span multiple levels. - The site is designed to provide classified capabilities currently unavailable in the area. - The total construction cost is expected to be about $10 million. - Funding will come from DIU, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and RIDC. - The initial construction effort is expected to support more than 40 direct full-time equivalent jobs.

The details: - The facility will include a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, or SCIF. - Tenants will have access to classified government information. - The building will include conference room capability with secure video teleconferencing. - An auditorium in the facility will seat 120. - The site is intended to let government, industry and academia work together on national security challenges. - The project is meant to remove a barrier for companies and research organizations that lack secure infrastructure for classified defense programs. - RIDC President Donald F. Smith, Jr. said there are no available operational shared secure facilities in the area where companies can communicate and share information with the government for national security products. - Smith said the facility will be both an economic development tool and a key asset for the region’s defense economy ecosystem. - DIU Bridge Program Head Sarah Pearson said expanded classified access in Pittsburgh will help DIU adopt best-in-class technology from regional innovators faster. - Pearson said the Bridge Program is focused on lowering barriers to the Department of War for industry partners through reforms to classified infrastructure, cybersecurity accreditation, and testing and evaluation access. - Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Rick Siger said the Hazelwood Green site will strengthen Pittsburgh’s ability to attract and retain world-class companies. - Siger said the facility will play an important role in growing the region’s defense industrial base. - Parallax Advanced Research President and CEO Dennis Andersh said the partners are building secure infrastructure and a secure innovation ecosystem. - RIDC’s more than 8 million square feet of property across 16 industrial and innovation parks currently houses 124 companies that support more than 9,000 jobs. More information is available at ridc.org.

Between the lines: - The project fills a practical gap: secure space is often the gating factor for smaller firms and universities trying to enter classified work. - By putting shared classified infrastructure in a commercial setting, the partners are trying to make defense collaboration easier and faster. - The tenant list suggests demand is already forming before the facility opens. - Current future tenants include Blade Diagnostics Corporation, HAMR Industries, Near Earth Autonomy, Aalyria, Certu Systems, Gray Swan AI, Lovelace AI, the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Military Medicine Research, the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute, and active and reserve military units in the Pittsburgh metro area. - The list of future tenants continues to grow. - The broader bet is that secure infrastructure can help turn Pittsburgh into a stickier hub for defense work, talent and investment.

What’s next: - Construction will move forward with support from federal, state and regional partners. - The facility will open to future tenants for classified collaboration once completed. - Additional tenants are expected to join as the list continues to grow. - Partners expect the site to support contract opportunities, technology transition and long-term growth in Pennsylvania’s defense economy.

The bottom line: - Pittsburgh is getting a shared classified hub designed to make defense innovation easier, faster and more accessible for the region’s companies and researchers.