USA Announces Completion of Work for Defense Industrial Base Institute Grant
Posted on August 3, 2026
The University of South Alabama Office of Community Engagement has completed several initiatives under the $ 250,000 Defense Industrial Base Institute grant in collaboration with Northeastern University. The grant was awarded in June of 2025.
The U.S. Navy-funded grant focused on resilience and sustainability. The work done has laid the groundwork for increasing awareness about careers in maritime, designing workforce solutions and supporting the Gulf Coast industrial base.
“This grant involved South joining Northeastern University as a partner, connecting our academic institution directly with skilled trade institutions and major regional developments like the Mobile Naval Yard,” said Dr. Joél Billingsley, vice president for the Office of Community Engagement. “We have built a seamless talent pipeline that directly serves Mobile's economic momentum and industrial workforce needs and resilience through sustainability.”
Building Resilience Through Strategic Stakeholder Engagement
A core pillar of the project focused on comprehensive stakeholder mapping and regional resilience research by conducting interviews. Initiative leaders conducted 100 interviews across a diverse cross-section of civic, community and industrial leaders.
“By unifying community engagement, higher education leadership, hands-on STEM education and trade certification pathways, the initiative has laid a foundation for long-term economic prosperity across the Gulf Coast region,” said Dr. Steven Scyphers, associate professor and chief sustainability officer in the USA Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences. “These discussions established a critical baseline for regional capabilities, strategic development priorities and long-term economic resilience.”
The Key Grant Initiatives:
- Stakeholder Mapping and Resilience Research: Conducted 100 scoping interviews across a diverse landscape of community and industry stakeholders. Framed by community engagement, best practices and resilience considerations, these interviews established a foundational understanding of regional needs, capabilities and strategic priorities.
- Higher Education Strategic Alignment: A dedicated Higher Education Working Group was convened to optimize how regional colleges and universities connect with the maritime industry. The group used the Mobile Naval Yard as a primary case study.
- STEM Maritime Launchpad: The Offices of Community Engagement and Sustainability designed and implemented a pilot workforce pipeline program to raise awareness of Gulf Coast maritime careers. High school students from the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science, along with graduate students and faculty from South, completed a weeklong program focused on shipbuilding, marine architecture and systems engineering.
- Workforce Influencer and Skilled Trade Connection: In partnership with Bishop State Community College, the initiative established direct career pathways for immediate employment in high-demand trades, focusing specifically on shipfitting, pipefitting and welding.
