Accelerator
A program or organization that helps early-stage and growing companies scale faster by connecting them with capital, customers, talent, and strategic relationships.
Additive Manufacturing
Also known as 3D printing, building physical objects layer by layer from digital design. Additive manufacturing is increasingly used in aerospace and defense to produce lightweight, complex parts and manufacturing parts that would be impossible or much more expensive to produce traditionally.
Advanced Air Mobility (AAM)
An aviation ecosystem that uses electric aircraft, primarily eVTOLs, to move people and goods through the air in suburban, rural, and urban airspace. AAM promises to reduce traffic congestion, lower carbon emissions, and connect communities in currently underserved areas.
American Dynamism
A term used to describe the revitalization of U.S.-based manufacturing, defense, and adjacent technologies. The movement seeks urgency to rebuild domestic innovation infrastructure and bring the economic and foreign supply chains.
Autonomous Systems
Vehicles and platforms capable of sensing their environment and completing tasks without requiring continuous human input to navigate and make decisions. Common types include UGVs (Unmanned Ground Vehicles), drones/UAVs, and RPAS (Remotely Operated Vehicles). Autonomous systems are a core area of innovation within 47G's ecosystem.
Capital Access
The ability for a company to connect with and secure funding through capital grants, investors, and government contracts. One of the most significant challenges for early-stage defense startups is navigating the complex landscape of available capital. 47G's Capital Access & Investment Readiness service connects companies with investors and funding opportunities.
CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics)
Computer-based simulations that model the flow of fluids and gases around objects such as aircraft, rockets, or weapons systems. CFD allows engineers to optimize aerodynamics and enhance performance without requiring costly physical tests. Within 47G, CFD capabilities have been a critical infrastructure priority.
C3PAO
CMMC Third-Party Assessment Organization. An accreditation organization authorized to conduct CMMC Level 2 (and potentially Level 3) assessments for defense contractors.
CMMC
Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification. A Department of Defense standard that assesses cybersecurity standards across the Defense Industrial Base. CMMC has three levels from basic cybersecurity hygiene to advanced. All contractors that handle CUI are required to achieve at minimum CMMC Level 2 certification.
Cohort
A group of companies or individuals going through a structured program or initiative together. Cohort-based models are common in accelerators, incubators, and fellowship programs, where camaraderie and shared accountability tend to accelerate outcomes.
Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)
Government-created or government-controlled information that requires safeguarding or dissemination controls consistent with applicable law, regulations, and government-wide policies, but is not classified. Contractors that handle CUI must comply with NIST SP 800-171 standards and, in most cases, CMMC Level 2 certification requirements.
Counter-Drone Technology
Systems designed to detect, track, and neutralize unauthorized or hostile drones. As drone technology proliferates across battlefields and civilian airspace, counter-drone capabilities have become a critical technology for both community and military infrastructure protection.
Deep Tech
A subset of hard tech characterized by significant capital requirements, long development timelines, and novel underlying materials, synthesis, biology, etc. Deep tech companies often have longer paths to commercialization and higher upfront costs, but the innovations generated are transformational across both defense and commercial markets.
Defense Industrial Base (DIB)
The network of private sector companies, contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers that provides products and services to the DoD that support U.S. national security and military operations. Being part of the DIB comes with significant compliance requirements including CMMC, but also access to substantial federal contracting.
Digital Twin
A virtual model of a physical system, process, or object. Digital twins allow engineers to simulate real-world performance, analyze maintenance needs, and optimize designs before committing to costly physical or emergent physical production.
Department of Defense (DoD)
The U.S. federal department responsible for national security, defense policy, and military operations. DoD is the single largest source of defense contracting in the U.S., with over $400 billion in contracts awarded annually through the SAM program alone.
Dual-Use Technology
Technology initially developed for civilian or commercial applications that also has significant military applications, or vice versa. 47G specifically focuses on building an ecosystem around dual-use technologies, helping members understand both national security and commercial innovation at the same time.
Ecosystem
A healthy ecosystem fosters learning in tech, accelerates technology transfer, and facilitates impacts. 47G is building the ecosystem for hard tech and dual-use technology companies in Utah.
eIPP (eVTOL Integration Pilot Program)
A Federal Aviation Administration program that seeks to integrate powered-lift (including eVTOL) aircraft into the national airspace. Utah, through its eIPP partnership led by UDOT and 47G, is one of eight selected participants.
eVTOL (Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing)
An aircraft that uses electric power to take off vertically, hover, and land vertically. eVTOLs are the foundational technology behind advanced air mobility, enabling air taxis, autonomous cargo drones, and package delivery systems. These aircraft are increasingly cost competitive with traditional helicopters.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
The U.S. agency responsible for regulating all aspects of civil aviation, including rules for drone operations, traditional aircraft, and developing rules for emerging technologies like eVTOLs and autonomous systems.
Federal Contract Information (FCI)
Information provided by or generated for the government under a federal contract to develop or deliver a product or service. All government contractors are required to meet basic CMMC Level 1 requirements.
Fiber-Optic Gyroscope (FOG)
A precision navigation sensor that uses light traveling through a coiled optical fiber to measure rotation without moving parts. FOGs are used in guidance and military platforms including submarines, aircraft, and spacecraft. FOGs are particularly used in environments where GPS signals are unreliable or available.
GPS Denied Environment
An operational setting where GPS signals are weak, unavailable, jammed, or unreliable. As adversaries develop more sophisticated jamming and spoofing technologies, navigating in GPS-denied satellite environments has become a critical national security priority.
Hard Tech
Companies and innovations that are rooted in complex physical hardware and deep scientific advancement. Hard tech typically involves deep technical R&D in areas like aerospace, advanced manufacturing, next-gen defense systems, and dual-use innovation. 47G was specifically built to support hard tech companies.
Hypersonic
Hypersonic refers to Mach 5, five times the speed of sound, or roughly 3,800+ miles per hour. Hypersonic vehicles, weapons, and delivery systems have become a priority area of U.S. defense research and development, with broad applications in aerodynamics, materials science, and national security.
Industry Advisory Board (IAB)
A body of leaders from industry, academia, government, and investment that profiles an organization's strategic direction and facilitates high-level connections across the ecosystem. 47G's Industry Advisory Board includes defense prime contractors, strategy government and agency leaders, and investors across the ecosystem.
Inertial Navigation
A navigation method that calculates position using internal sensors like accelerometers and gyroscopes. Unlike GPS, inertial navigation systems operate without external reference signals like GPS.
Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP)
A national network administered by NIST that provides consulting, training, and technical assistance to small and medium-sized manufacturers. Utah's MEP center is a resource for 47G members seeking support in operational improvement and CMMC compliance in supply chain.
Market Access
The ability for a company to reach and sell to its target markets effectively. For government, this typically involves connecting with the right program offices, navigating contracting pathways, and building relationships and positioning needed to win government contracts. Market Access & Government Navigation is one of 47G's core service lines for members.
NIST SP 800-171
A set of 110 cybersecurity controls developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology to protect Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) in nonfederal systems. Compliance with NIST SP 800-171 is the baseline requirement for CMMC Level 2.
OLDCC
Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation. A DoD office that administers grants to states and local communities to help offset the economic impacts of defense and respond to changes driven by military force structure changes. OLDCC funds Utah's Aerospace and Defense Manufacturing Community Project, which provided the seed and validation of Utah's defense supply chain.
Phase I / Phase II / Phase III (SBIR/STTR)
The three-stage structure of the federal Small Business Innovation Research program. Phase I: feasibility studies, typically $50K–$250K. Phase II: R&D continuation, 24 months with funding of $500K–$2M. Phase III: Commercialization — no new federal SBIR/STTR dollars are provided; the company pursues private investment, non-SBIR federal contracts, or sales.
Photonics
The science and technology of generating and harnessing photons (particles of light). Photonics has major applications in communications, sensing, medical imaging, defense systems including directed-energy weapons, and quantum technologies.
Plans of Action & Milestones (POA&M)
A document that identifies specific tasks, milestones, and resources needed to address cybersecurity weaknesses. POA&Ms are required for companies pursuing CMMC certification, as they demonstrate a structured plan for continuous improvement.
Prime Contractor (Primes)
Large defense companies that contract directly with the government and frequently subcontract portions of the work to smaller specialized companies. Getting into a prime's supply chain is one of the fastest paths to revenue for aerospace and defense startups. 47G's Partnerships & Supply Chain Integration is designed to directly connect members with prime contractors.
An Augmented Transportation Alliance: 47G's targeted initiative to establish a pilot supply chain integration and convening program for aerospace & defense, logistics, and hard tech. Project Alta is being positioned in partnership with the state of Utah as a statewide economic development service.
Public-Private Partnership (P2)
A cooperative arrangement between government and the private sector to jointly fund and deliver projects or services. P2s play a central role in regional economic development. 47G was started to become a hub for P2 formation across aerospace, defense, and manufacturing industries.
Quantum Computing
A form of computing that harnesses quantum mechanical phenomena like superposition and entanglement, allowing computers to process vast amounts of data at unprecedented speeds, with significant potential applications in cryptography, drug discovery, materials science, and national defense.
Rare Earth Elements (REEs)
A group of 17 metallic elements, including lanthanides, scandium, and yttrium, that are critical for manufacturing advanced electronics, defense systems, and clean energy technologies. China controls approximately 60% of the world's rare earth mining and roughly 85% of processing capacity, making domestic sourcing a national security priority.
SBIR
Small Business Innovation Research. A federal grant and contracts program for small businesses to fund early-stage R&D aligned with federal agencies. The DoD distributes more SBIR funding than any other federal agency. 47G helps members navigate the SBIR program through educational workshops and connections to funding pathways for the defense space.
Semiconductor
A material with electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator, enabling it to control electrical current. Semiconductors form the foundation of nearly all modern electronics, and are critical for defense systems. The CHIPS Act was signed in 2022 to rebuild semiconductor infrastructure and onshore production back to the U.S.
Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR)
A federal funding program similar to SBIR that requires small businesses to formally collaborate with a nonprofit research institution (such as a university) during Phase I and Phase II. STTR is specifically designed to transfer technology developed at universities and research labs to commercial and military use.
Soft Tech
It is not hard tech. Soft tech refers to software-driven solutions, platforms, or digital tools that do not require significant physical components or manufacturing. While 47G is focused on hardware and deep tech companies, software companies intersect with hard tech as part of the dual-use ecosystem. Implementation of hard tech is dependent on software development at the intersection of hard and soft tech.
Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS)
A DoD-managed database that tracks contractor performance scores, including cybersecurity self-assessment scores based on NIST SP 800-171 compliance status. All defense contractors must register and maintain a score in SPRS as a requirement for participating in DoD contracting.
Supply Chain Integration
The coordination of manufacturers, suppliers, logistics providers, and retailers to efficiently and collectively produce and distribute products. 47G's Partnerships & Supply Chain Integration service line actively helps member companies integrate into aerospace and defense supply chain networks.
Swarm Formation Dynamics
Swarm technology is an emerging practice drawing inspiration from collective behavior observed in nature. Swarm formation dynamics relate to the coordination of multiple autonomous systems, such as UAVs, to perform tasks collectively without centralized control. Military applications include distributed ISR, coordinated electronic warfare, and saturating enemy defenses.
Testbed
A controlled environment used for testing technologies, products, and systems before they are deployed in operational settings. For defense technologies, testbeds provide 47G members with access to operational environments to validate performance, collect data, and reduce the risk of expensive failures.
Urban Air Mobility (UAM)
UAM envisions a future where air taxis, delivery drones, and other aircraft operate in urban airspace above cities. As a subset of AAM, UAM focuses specifically on short-distance urban and suburban trips, typically at lower altitudes. Utah has emerged as a focus state for UAM deployment.
UAV/UGV/ROV
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV), and Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). These are autonomous or semi-autonomous systems operated without a human physically present in the vehicle, used in both defense applications (surveillance, force protection, direct action) and commercial applications (inspection, delivery, agriculture).
Vertiport
A ground-based facility designed to support the takeoff, landing, charging, and passenger processing of eVTOL aircraft. Vertiports are the eVTOL equivalent of airports or heliports. Development of vertiport infrastructure is critical to the Utah eIPP program and Utah's broader position as an AAM state leader.
47G's flagship annual event, one of Utah's largest defense and hard tech convenings. The Zero Gravity Summit brings together hundreds of members, defense officials, investors, primes, and entrepreneurs across aerospace, defense, and hard tech industries to connect, align, and drive the ecosystem forward.