USTDA Awards Grant to Support Testing and Evaluation of U.S. Systems

(USTDA) ROMANIA – The U.S. Trade and Development Agency awarded a grant today to Romania's General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (GIES) for a study to evaluate technologies deployed during field emergency response operations. The $400,000 grant was signed at the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest by U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Duane C. Butcher on behalf of USTDA, and General Inspector for Emergency Situations, Colonel Marcel Lucaciu, on behalf of GIES.

"Portable communications technologies are necessary to further improve Romania's emergency response systems, which is a priority for the Romanian government," stated USTDA Director Leocadia Zak. "The United States is a leader in this field, and this study will demonstrate the value of this partnership."

Romania, one of the most earthquake-prone countries in Europe, has experienced serious damage resulting from flooding and earthquakes over the last several years. As a result, the Government of Romania has made improvements to the country's emergency management and response system a national priority.

The objective of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of the following three core technologies through portable deployment: critical information management systems, geographical information systems, and interoperable communications. The study will coordinate the selection and deployment of these technologies, support a field exercise and then evaluate the results of that exercise to recommend future implementation strategies.

While these core technologies have been identified as a solution to the challenges facing Romania's emergency response infrastructure, they have not been fully developed in Romania. Accordingly, the Government of Romania is interested in evaluating and testing the application of U.S. technologies and products, which this study will support. Demonstrating the benefits and advantages of U.S. technologies will encourage increased investment in the projects and may generate tens of millions of dollars in exports from U.S. companies.

The feasibility study will be carried out by ESi Acquisition, Inc., based in Augusta, Georgia. Other U.S. companies participating in the study include ATG Communications LLC, Cisco Systems, Inc., Esri, and Tucuxi LLC.