CIC wins Achievement in Collaborative Implementation for defense tech at the 18th Annual 2026 Globee® Awards for Innovation
BOSSIER CITY, La. – 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.”
View the full list of winners HERE.
About the Cyber Innovation Center
Cyber Innovation Center (CIC), located in Bossier City, Louisiana, is the anchor of the 3,000-acre National Cyber Research Park and serves as the catalyst for the development and expansion of a knowledge-based workforce throughout the region. As a 501c3 not-for-profit corporation, CIC fosters collaboration among its partners and accelerates technology, research, and development. One of its primary missions is to develop a sustainable knowledge-based workforce that can support the growing needs of government, industry, and academic partners.
About the Globee® Awards for Innovation
The Globee® Awards for Innovation, also known as the Golden Bridge Awards®, recognize achievements in innovation across industries and organizations worldwide. Now in its 18th year, the program recognizes local, regional, and global achievements by organizations of different sizes, as well as individuals, teams, products, services, and initiatives. Entries are evaluated by participating judges from around the world. Winners are determined based on the scores submitted through the Globee® Awards judging process.
About the Globee® Awards
The Globee® Awards present ten recognition programs covering achievement, artificial intelligence, business, customer excellence, cybersecurity, innovation, leadership, impact, pioneers, and technology. The programs recognize achievements by organizations, teams, and professionals worldwide through an independent judging process.
