Swipe Right for Your Next Career Move: Austin-based Bumble launches Professional Networking App

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When dating app Bumble first launched on the tech scene in 2014, it revolutionized online dating with its “women make the first move” approach. Now four years later with 20 million users worldwide, 800 million matches and counting, the Austin-based company is set to change the online professional scene with its new networking app, Bumble Bizz. The networking app was released on the Apple App store earlier this week in the U.S., U.K., Canada, France, and Germany.

Built into Bumble’s original app and drawing on its features, Bumble Bizz would connect users based on geographic location and users can swipe left or right to indicate whether they want to connect for mentoring or networking.  Swiping right means interested to connect while left signifies disinterest. Users are matched when both swipe right. They then have 24 hours to connect or else the connection disappears. Unlike Bumble which only features an image and short biography, the networking app would also include a digital resume highlighting skills and past work experience.

Bumble CEO and founder Whitney Wolfe Herd explained the company developed Bumble Bizz because many Bumble users were already using the app for professional connections in addition to romantic ones. Like its original app, Bumble Bizz sets the stage for women to initiate contact. Herd said, “We’ve stayed focused on creating a community with a foundation built upon positivity, respect, confidence, and encouraging women to make the first move.” The company’s head of brand Alex Williamson further added that Bumble Bizz was to create a “safe space for women to network”, given the higher risk of harassment for women in the professional sphere.

In response to media calling Bumble Bizz the potential “LinkedIn killer”, Herd has emphasized that the networking app functions differently from LinkedIn’s platform. For one, Bumble Bizz is more informal and casual compared to LinkedIn. The 24-hour time limit to make a connection, moreover, creates a sense of urgency instead of accumulating connections that are “dead” over time and not actively cultivated. Herd said, “We’re trying to give you access to people right here, right now around you, hyper-relevant to you, and create real-life connections.”

The networking app has launched on Apple. It will be available on Google Play on October 18. By the way, Bumble will be using its networking app to look for potential employees at its Austin office. If you’re interested, get started on Bumble Bizz today.

Building networking apps and changing the way we interact online? You could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and can receive up to 14% back on your research and development expenses. To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today.

 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE credits as well as CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Security in a Heartbeat: Texas Tech Researcher develops “cardiac password”

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From passwords, thumbprints, retina scans, to facial recognition, there’s no shortage of identity authentication features for phones and computers. But Changzhi Li, a researcher from Texas Tech University, envisions an even more intimate security method: a “cardiac password” which can identify users by their heart waves.

Existing security measures are vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Hackers have consistently proven their ability to hack passwords and use fake thumbprints to gain unauthorized access and penetrate existing security defenses. Countermeasures for increased cyber security, however, are often invasive and inconvenient, such as requiring users to continuously re-log in or re-scan their thumbprints every few minutes. Instead, the project, developed by Li under Wenyao Xu from the University of Buffalo, seeks to create a method that is both secure and user-convenient.

Theoretically, the “cardiac password” would work similar to a police radar that measures the speed of a car but instead measures the speed of a heartbeat and how that movement changes over time. Xu said, “No two people with identical hearts have ever been found.” Building on the assumption that each person has his or her own unique heart and waveform, the “cardiac password” involves releasing a radio frequency signal to measure and authenticate the user’s signature heartbeat. When the user walks away from the computer or if another person attempts to log in, the device would automatically lock down.

The “cardiac password” would not be invasive since it would continuously authenticate the user without the user’s active participation. Li explained, “This system does not ask people questions or require us to do anything like type in a password or do a finger scan or face scan. You just do whatever you want to inside your office, and the system sends out a signal to check out your cardiac waveform without letting you know it is doing it.” The signals would also be less powerful than Wi-Fi and the radiation from cellphones and therefore, would not pose a severe health concern.

This project is still in its development stages. The team is currently testing different sensitivity devices and hardware that could be used for the “cardiac password.” From there, Li would better assess the feasibility of the project. He also recognizes that the project would need to account for signal changes in the user’s heartbeat, such as aging or pacemakers. Li and Xu hope the “cardiac password” would one day be used for computers, cell phones, and even in airport identification.

Are you also engaging in R&D experiments to develop new cyber-security measures? Did you know that If you conduct your R&D projects in universities, you could receive up to an additional 20% credit for your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today.

 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE credits as well as CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

2017: The Best Year for Texas Manufacturing Despite Hurricane Harvey

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As the month of September comes to a close, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas (Dallas Fed) released its monthly Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey earlier this week. Even in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, September’s survey results were clear: the manufacturing industry in Texas is still going strong.

Industry executives throughout Texas contribute to the survey on the monthly basis, providing data for indicators such as employment, orders, prices, output, and so forth. Dallas Fed then calculates this data and releases an index for each indicator to reveal the health of the state’s economy. Any index below zero demonstrates a decrease while a score above zero means growth.

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Digital R&D facility in Chicago will create over 100 new tech opportunities

Digital R&D facility in Chicago will create over 100 new tech opportunities

An exciting time lies ahead for research and development in Chicago! Siemens have officially announced their plans for a digital R&D hub due to open in October 2017.

The facility will generate over 100 new tech jobs in the city which will bring the Siemens Chicago employee count up to 3,300. New jobs will be created in the fields of software development, software architecture, product testing, project leadership, application engineering, configuration management, team leadership and technical writing. It is anticipated that the center will open in October 2017 and will have $20 million per year invested into it.

It is no doubt that establishing this R&D center in Chicago is a significant opportunity for Siemens to leverage the extremely talented tech community in the city.

The center will build applications for Siemens Control Products and Systems (CPS) technology. The CPS Software House will take the lead on global R&D efforts for the company’s design CC platform, which makes it easier to manage the functions of large buildings. In addition the facility will also work to add more cloud functionality to the System One smart home application.

The logical next step and a critical component in the Siemens digitalization strategy is establishing the CPS Software House, which continues driving towards a future that includes autonomous buildings. The goal for Siemens as a company is to build new capabilities, bring them to customers sooner and work with customers to quickly obtain feedback.

The technology industry is growing at an aggressive rate and like Siemens, many are investing millions in R&D to stay ahead of the technology curve.  An R&D Tax Credit can support businesses in any industry to further develop their research.  If you would like to find out more about R&D tax and whether your company may qualify for an R&D Tax Credit, contact a Swanson Reed R&D specialist today.

Hitachi discusses strategy in R&D initiatives around the world

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Conglomerate giant, Hitachi, operates in several industries around the world and invests heavily in research and development across many sectors.  As a for-profit company, Hitachi funds their own research and development, and so must strategize in choosing which R&D projects or industries to invest in to be most effective and lucrative.

According to Hitachi’s co-head of Social Innovation Business, Patrik Sjoestedt, Hitachi’s strategy is to address major issues that have the biggest affect on society.  These issues and their affects vary greatly by region, but typically these projects tackle issues such as climate change, water management and energy use.  Hitachi addresses modern day problems with technology to create solutions for society, such as developing sensors to deal with traffic congestion.

Determining which issues to invest R&D in is heavily influenced by region.  For example, in Southeast Asia, development is heavy as cities are being built up, and so importance of research and development is on issues such as energy efficiency and security.  Another example exists in Germany, where manufacturing is one of the biggest industries. Here, R&D would aim to solve issues resulting in reducing waste, optimizing energy, managing pollution and increasing overall efficiency.  Similarly, in cities such as London and New York, transport (including transport of goods) is a major contributor to issues like pollution and congestion.  R&D invested in transportation would aim to reduce emissions and optimize transport loads, perhaps through technologies such as self-driving vehicles.

Hitachi will continue innovating to solve major issues faced around the world today through R&D.  The R&D tax credit is another strategy available to Hitachi any other companies developing new and improved products and processes, allowing a credit of up to 14% of eligible spending.

If you would like to find out how your company could benefit from Research and Development Tax Credits, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today.

Diagnosing Brain Injury in Football Players Before It’s Too Late: A New Radioactive Tracer Method

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Football season is again upon us! But as you cheer for your favorite team, did you know that football players may be at a greater risk for brain injury and trauma? Sam Gandy, a neurologist at New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital, hopes to develop a more accurate radioactive tracer technique to uncover the truth.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease linked to repetitive brain injury, with symptoms ranging from memory loss to mental instability. Diagnosable only after a patient has died, CTE is frequently found in the brains of deceased football players and raises controversy on the safety of football and other contact sports. Dr. Gandy hopes to detect CTE earlier in a living patient to find prevention methods and determine the real risk of CTE in sports.

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U.S. Department of Health partnering with Johnson & Johnson company in R&D initiative to prevent pandemics.

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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced they will enter a public-private partnership with Janssen Research and Development, a company owned by well-known corporate giant Johnson & Johnson.  The purpose of the partnership is to perform R&D of products that could aid in treatment and prevention of emerging infectious diseases, some with the potential to cause a pandemic.

According to Johnson & Johnson, the scale of this research is too high for any company or government to achieve on its on, but by bringing together the efforts of the private and public sector, the partners believe achievements can be made.  Combined skills and resources can be used to advance their research and aim to develop treatments for influenza and prevention methods should a pandemic arise.

Influenza affects more than one billion individuals each year with up to 500,000 deaths.  The partnership will continue research on a drug developed by Janssen, which could prevent the influenza virus from replicating and spreading in the body.  Also included in the project will be research on vaccines to protect against a wide range of seasonal and pandemic viruses.

The Department of Health and Human Services will provide the project with up to $43 million for R&D in the first year and up to $273 million over five years.  Janssen has agreed they will match the Department’s contribution and both parties will jointly manage operations and resources and share costs associated with this R&D project.

R&D investment in the medical and health industry has been growing in recent years and is expected to continue growing as investments advance.  R&D Tax Credits can support businesses in any industry in furthering their research and development initiatives.  If you would like to find out how your business could benefit from R&D tax credits, contact a Swanson Reed R&D Tax Advisor today.

U.S. Army investing in R&D to create robots and other advanced technologies

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The U.S. Army has spent the last 10 years working with researchers and universities across the country in a collaborative technology alliance to help solve major military issues.  In 2008, a research an R&D program was launched and called Micro Autonomous Systems and Technology (or “MAST”). It was a program designed to research and develop technologies to improve tactical situational awareness and enhance safety for soldiers of the future.

The U.S. Army Research Laboratory, whose research team consisted of 19 partners, including the University of Michigan and MIT, recently displayed their findings at a Collaborative Technology Alliance capstone event.  New technologies developed through MAST were demonstrated live by 17 teams of researchers and included robots for both the ground and air, and self-organizing autonomous quadcopters.

Now that MAST has concluded, the Army has announced it will soon launch a new technology alliance research program called Distributed Collaborative Intelligent Systems and Technology (or “DCIST”).  This time around, the program will research and develop technologies that can enable many systems, heterogenous in nature, to distribute intelligence and communicate.  Researchers want to make it possible for information to transmit instantly to all different units.  This can include soldiers, robots and Humvees, in the air or on the ground.  Though there are challenges sure to be faced, researchers are calling it “an incredibly difficult, exciting program” and that it will play a major role in strategy for the Army.

The technology industry is growing at an aggressive rate and like the Army, many are investing millions in R&D to stay ahead of the technology curve.  An R&D Tax Credit can support businesses in any industry in further developing their research.  If you would like to find out more about R&D tax and whether your company may qualify for an R&D Tax Credit, contact a Swanson Reed R&D specialist today.

U.S. Businesses Are Spending More on R&D Than Ever Before

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In 2015, business research and development spending reached $356 billion in the U.S., putting R&D spending up almost 5% from 2014. Not only is R&D in the U.S. increasing, but companies are putting more of their own money into it as own company funding went up 5%. Not surprisingly, manufacturing companies accounted for 66% of domestic R&D.

The R&D Tax Credit is available to any of these companies developing new and improved products and processes, allowing a credit of up to 14% of eligible spending if the following four research criteria are met:

  1. technological in nature;
  2. new or improved products, processes or software;
  3. elimination of uncertainty; and
  4. process of experimentation.

Eligible spending covers payroll of direct labor, cost of supplies and developments, and contracted research services up to three years.

If you would like to find out how your company could benefit from R&D Tax Credits, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today.

Automated Vehicles- The Next Big Thing for R&D in Fort-Worth Region

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Self-driving cars are set to be the next big thing in Texas, specifically in the Forth Worth region as congestion is a major issue. The U.S. ranks 16th overall for congestion, making the market for self-driving cars needed. The development of this product is something that is completely new and innovative. It requires experimentation in regards to safety, maintenance, etc. Research and development (R&D) tax credits is something that will be very useful in this industry.

Thomas Bamonte, the automated vehicles program manager is a team of one in the Fort-Worth region and is looking into the legality of having more vehicles on roads but increasing traffic flow at the same time with self-driving cars. Bamonte believes that before self-driving cars hit the market, there has to be a few changes. The focus may change from cement and road structure to back-end computing systems, digital technology within signs, traffic lights etc. R&D tax credits will benefit this industry due to the highly technological changes that will need to happen.

The changes that will need to happen to make the autonomous vehicle industry flourish are ongoing and still in the design stages. If your company is experimenting with new products or technologies contact a Swanson Reed R&D Tax Advisor today.