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Current Sponsored Projects:
- SSHEnet: The Network of the State System of Higher Education (http://www.sytecpa.org)
SSHEnet is a private wide-area network serving Pennsylvania's state-owned
universities, including over 100,000 students, faculty and staff, and
selected community networks. This state-of-the-art network employs broadband
technology to deliver IP-based services including Internet-2 access
and videoconferencing. The BTC provides network management, operating
services, engineering, and new technologies to this innovative network.
- Ben Franklin Technology Partnership Small Business Subsidy
Program
The BTC is the Center of Excellence for Information Technology (IT)
of the Ben Franklin Technology Partnership of Southeastern Pennsylvania
(http://www.sep.benfranklin.org).
Since 1989, this Partnership has provided the BTC with more than $1
million to enable the BTC to assist regional companies seeking to identify
IT that may create new companies, products or jobs, or IT that may improve
business processes or to enable regional companies to become more competitive
in today's global marketplace.
This partnership has provided many regional companies (including
start-ups) matching funds (currently up to $10,000) to explore new
technologies, develop business cases, produce businesses plans, evaluate
concepts, create prototypes, or demonstrate new products.
In some cases, these explorations have led to additional Ben Franklin
funding (currently up to $250,000) to enable companies to bring their
ideas to the commercial market.
- BTC Technology Network (BTCTECHnet)
The BTCTECHnet enables businesses needing broadband technologies, in
excess of today's Internet offerings, exposure to new technologies that
will allow them to increase their bottom line, to differentiate themselves,
to excel within a marketplace, and to obtain competitive advantages.
Through BTCTECHnet, companies can gain experience with, and in certain
case access to, new technologies, attitudes, directions, and paradigms
that will create the next generation of digital products and services.
- Applied Research
The BTC's applied research is targeted to companies, and others, looking
to improve or develop products, improve business processes, acquire
technology or implement communications protocols or technology.
- BTC Incubator program
Often small companies need help in starting up. Since inception, several
companies have had their beginning at the BTC where the center, and
its partners, supplied the technology, expertise and resources needed
to assist these beginning companies.
Past Sponsored Projects:
- Chesconet (the First Community Network in Pennsylvania)
Established in 1993, Chesconet is a non-profit corporation that provides
a private information network, including Internet access, to multiple
locations including schools, libraries, government agencies and other
not-for-profit agencies in southeastern Pennsylvania. Until February
2001, the BTC provided operations, management and engineering to this
corporation.
- Networking Pennsylvania into the 21st Century
A competitive testbed grant received in 1997 by the BTC from the Link
to Learn initiative. The project conducted applied research designed
to provide school districts, public libraries, governmental agencies,
businesses, and health agencies with information on the best available,
cost-effective combination of technologies, transport and bandwidth
to deliver services over wide-area networks.
- WCU Procurement Assistance Center (WCU-PAC)
The West Chester University Procurement Assistance Center (WCU-PAC)
operated from 1994 to 1999. The WCU-PAC assisted Chester County small
businesses in identifying and securing federal, state and local government
contracts and sub-contracts. Over $51 million dollars in federal, state
and local government contracts and subcontracts were awarded to WCU-PAC
clients.
- West Chester Electronic Commerce Resource Center (WCECRC)
The WCECRC was one of sixteen regional centers in the United States
designed to provide assistance on Electronic Commerce and Electronic
Data Interchange to small and medium-sized enterprises doing business
with the federal Government.
- ELITE™ (Entry-Level Information Technology Education)
West Chester University, through its College of Business and Public Affairs
(SBPA), executed activities in curriculum alignment; faculty professional
development; infrastructure improvement; regional workforce development;
educational access; and student recruitment and retention. ELITE™
provided Pennsylvanians the skills needed to pursue career opportunities
in Information Technology and e-Business and to expand the supply of
entry-level IT workers possessing a knowledge set defined by prospective
Pennsylvania employers.
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