IR&D 2024
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SwRI’s internal research program supported the development of the Vision for Off-Road Autonomy (VORA™) suite of tools providing stealthy automated driving for off-road military vehicles. In 2024, we demonstrated how VORA could support exploration of the Moon in an environment that simulates the lunar surface.
As a nonprofit research and development organization, SwRI invests in innovation, using our robust internal research and development (IR&D) program to expand and enhance our expertise and encourage our staff’s professional growth. In 2024, SwRI initiated 119 new IR&D projects, investing more than $11 million in internal research, including quick-look and focused research programs.
Our IR&D program helps us advance science, engineering and technology while also preparing for the future needs of our clients. The program also allows engineers and scientists to grow in their technical fields by providing freedom to explore innovative and unproven concepts without contractual restrictions and expectations. IR&D is frequently cited as a key enabling factor leading to new projects, new clients and completely new research arenas within the Institute.
The image above illustrates how VORA color classifies an off-road environment and how easy it is to traverse.
SwRI engineers collaborated with Texas A&M to perform fluids engineering experiments aboard a series of parabolic flights, gathering data and observations at multiple gravity levels.
SwRI chemists integrated machine learning tools with Rhodium™ drug development software to screen DNA-targeting therapeutics, ranking 31 cancer-fighting drugs for their effectiveness against leukemia cells with 99.95% confidence.