Joint venture nets mega-contract

Rosettex Technology and Ventures Group won a five-year contract worth more than $200 million to provide technology services to the National Technology Alliance. Rosettex of Arlington, Va., is a joint venture formed by Sarnoff Corp., Princeton, N.J., and SRI International, Menlo Park, Calif., to address the needs of the NTA.

The NTA is a federal program to help the government capitalize on advances in commercial technology for national security and defense needs.

Rosettex's contract covers imagery, geographic information systems and cartography; digital processing, analysis and management; and digital technology infrastructure. Rosettex will invest its profits from the NTA agreement into a newly created Rosettex Venture Fund, which will invest in promising technologies and start-up companies that can address government technology needs.