The Cyber Innovation Center (CIC) has been named the Gold,
Best in Category winner for Achievement in Collaborative Implementation in the 18th
Annual 2026 Globee® Awards for Innovation. The international awards program
recognizes achievements in innovation across industries, organizations, teams,
products, services, and professional disciplines.
CIC received this recognition for supporting the development of new learning
technology for Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Airmen through partners Adaptive
Immersion Technologies (AIT) and STRIKEWERX, the CIC’s innovation hub for Air
Force Global Strike Command.
Success metrics include increased training repetitions, reduction in set up time, and
reduced cost to the Air Force. As a result, an additional $2 million in funding from the
Defense Threat Reduction Agency has been provided for further project enhancement.
“We are honored to receive this recognition from the Globee® Awards. Through
STRIKEWERX and AIT, Airmen now have a more modern approach to training that
delivers realistic, repeatable missions and actionable feedback,” said Kevin Nolten,
president of the CIC.
“Our goal is to equip Airmen with a system so advanced, realistic, and indispensable to
their jobs that they will not want to train without it,” said Phillip Mangos, AIT CEO and
chief scientist. “We are excited to see this effort recognized while we are focused on the
most important factor — helping the Air Force realize a return on investment measured
in millions of dollars of training cost savings.”
CIC was recognized for collaborating with AIT on a game-based, virtual reality (VR)
training platform with simulated missions that mirror real-world hazards, conditions, and
radiation physics.
The multiplayer training experience places Airmen at a virtual aircraft crash site and
requires them to work through scenario decision-making under varying conditions such
as weather and time of day, all while it evaluates the same cognitive skills needed
during real operations.
You can see a Case Study on the EOD trainer HERE.
“The 2026 Globee® Awards for Innovation winners represent achievements across
industries, functions, and regions,” said San Madan, president of the Globee® Awards.
“We congratulate this year’s winners and the teams and professionals behind the
achievements recognized through the judging process.”