Monroe County Finger Lakes APEX Accelerator

🚨 Attention Primes and Agencies! 🚨 We're thrilled to invite you to a FREE, 2-day virtual event focused on government contracting opportunities, best practices, and strategies to help you succeed in this competitive landscape! 🚀 Join us for expert-led sessions, innovative insights, and networking opportunities with small business. 📅 When: December 3 & 4 📍 Where: Virtual (from anywhere!) 👉 Last year, we had over 700 participants and this year, it’s going to be even bigger and better! Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to learn, connect, and grow. 🎟️ Register now for FREE: https://lnkd.in/eEnUDz_r

📣 Public Input Sought: Proposed expansion of the "Rule of Two" to benefit small businesses The U.S. Small Business Administration is proposing an expansion of its "Rule of Two" policy, which requires government contracts to be set aside for small businesses when at least two qualified small firms are capable of performing the work. The new proposal aims to extend this rule to apply to orders off of multiple-award contracts, with certain exceptions. In addition, the SBA is calling for greater involvement from the SBA and agency Offices of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBUs) in planning new multiple-award contracts. The SBA estimates the proposed changes could potentially funnel an additional $6 billion in contracts annually to small businesses. Small business owners and interested stakeholders are encouraged to provide feedback on the proposed rule by December 24, 2024. Federal Register: https://lnkd.in/eVyuPrbB 

🚀 Join Us for a Special Workshop! 🚀 On November 15th at 10 AM, we invite you to a National Veteran Owned Small Business Week virtual workshop hosted by the Monroe County Finger Lakes APEX Accelerator. You’ll hear from experts at: 🔹 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 🔹 SBA Buffalo District Office 🔹 NYS Division of Service-Disabled Veterans' Business Development (Ken Williams) 🔹 Monroe County's Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (Matthew Burrell) They will highlight available SDVOB/SDVOSB utilization programs and provide insights to help Veterans thrive in today’s competitive landscape. 🗓️ Register now https://lnkd.in/eh_-DfM7 and mark your calendars! #Veterans #SmallBusiness #SDVOB #Entrepreneurship #Networking #Workshops #MonroeCounty

Please Repost! THIS IS THE BIGGEST - SMALL BUSINESS CYBER DEVELOPMENT THIS YEAR! And you can hear about it on Nov 7 1pm EST   The Army has an open pilot to help meet NIST SP 800-171/CMMC requirements – Send your ecosystems to hear first-hand about this Army opportunity Come and be the first to hear about the Army’s newest acquisition pilot from Matthew Picerno, ASA(ALT) Chief Cyber Acquisition Officer: Next-Gen Commercial Operations in Defended Enclaves (N-CODE).  Worked in association with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, N-CODE will combine commercial cloud technology with enhanced security features to provide a secure environment for small business contracts to process, store and communicate sensitive data. Small business contracts that opt into the N-CODE pilot can leverage an initial set of productivity tools within a secure environment that will meet a majority of the CMMC controls For Non-DoD agencies: In November 2024, the federal government will release the long-awaited “FAR CUI Rule,”  which will mandate NIST SP 800-171 implementation for the protection of federal CUI – not just DoD CUI. So – this is for your SMBs, too!   #SBIR #STTR

Many thanks to Joseph Stefko and Shannon Ealy of OneROC for planning this important visit, and to our NY SMART I-Corridor partners from CenterState CEO and the Buffalo Niagara Partnership for joining Greater Rochester in welcoming Acting Assistant Secretary Cristina Killingsworth and distinguished colleagues to our innovation corridor last week. And thank you to the Assistant Secretary and her team for taking the time to make the journey! https://lnkd.in/ePf2rbnW We are so excited to further this important effort to cement and bolster our region's capacity as a global leader in end-to-end semiconductor manufacturing.

ICYMI: The DoD Chief Information Officer posted FAQs about Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), the so-called CMMC 2.0. Download this PDF as a handy reference to help with your questions, and reach out to Project Spectrum for an assessment and resources. #DoD #cybersecurity #CMMC #FAQ

In honor of National Veterans Week join the Monroe County Finger Lakes APEX Accelerator on November 15 @ 10 a.m. Hear from experts at the SBA, NYS Division of Service-Disabled Veterans' Business Development, and Monroe County's Department of Diversity Equity and Inclusion as they highlight available SDVOB/SDVOSB utilization programs.

📅 Next month: National Veterans Small Business Week kicks off on November 11! During the celebration, SBA and resource partners will host events that highlight resources to help veteran community members start and grow businesses. 🔎 Find #NVSBW24 events near you! https://www.sba.gov/nvsbw

Does your organization specialize in developing artificial intelligence (AI) mapping models?   ERDCWERX invites commercial AI solutions for mapping high-resolution fuel characteristics in cold regions using variable datasets. This project aligns with the Department of Defense’s desire to protect land and assets against damage from wildland fire.   The primary objectives of this project are to:   ▪️ Develop an AI model that will create fuel maps across interior Alaska training lands using multi-modal datasets  ▪️ Derive a canopy height model from remote sensing and LiDAR datasets over interior Alaska training lands for training and validation of the AI model ▪️ Develop a model with a feature-extraction backbone ▪️ Publish the AI model to the Permafrost Discovery Gateway ▪️ Coordinate communication between researchers and the wildland fire community   This project supports the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) Commercial Solutions Opening. For details and to submit, visit //https://lnkd.in/e7YPHE3h. For details and to submit visit: AI-Informed High-Resolution Fuel Mapping - ERDCWERX ❗ Submission Deadline Extended: October 31, 2024 3:00 PM CT ❗

🚨 The final ruling is here: CMMC is officially here to stay! 🚨 After much anticipation, the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) has been finalized, marking a significant step forward in enhancing cybersecurity within the Defense Industrial Base. For all businesses engaged with the Department of Defense, it's time to prepare for compliance and strengthen your cybersecurity. ✨ Stay tuned for upcoming training sessions! We’ll be offering resources and guidance to help you navigate the CMMC requirements effectively.🔐 Read the final ruling here: https://lnkd.in/eUDn234p #CMMC #Cybersecurity #Compliance #DefenseIndustry #SecureFuture #Training #StayTuned #DIB #DoDOSBP #APEXAccelerators