The Cyber Innovation Center (CIC) was named the Gold, Best in Category winner for Achievement in Collaborative Implementation during the 18th Annual 2026 Globee® Awards for Innovation on Sept. 29. 

This award recognizes achievements in innovation across industries, organizations, teams, products, services and professional disciplines. 

President of the Globee® Awards Sam Madan said, “We congratulate this year’s winners and the teams and professionals behind the achievements recognized through the judging process.”

CIC received this distinction for 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. 

President of the CIC Kevin Nolten said, "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."

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.

“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,” AIT CEO and chief scientist Phillip Mangos said. “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.”