SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Last week, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency awarded a technical assistance grant to Fundación Ramon E. Mella (FRM), a maritime and port organization in the Dominican Republic.  The grant will support the development of a national cybersecurity risk assessment, reporting, and management capability platform for port facilities across the Dominican Republic.  New Jersey-based HudsonTrident, Inc. will conduct the work, supporting FRM and port operators in identifying and recommending port-specific cybersecurity solutions and services for procurement.

“This grant demonstrates USTDA’s commitment to supporting the modernization of critical infrastructure in the Dominican Republic and throughout the region,” said Peter Greenwood, USTDA Country Manager.  “We are pleased to respond to a growing demand for high quality cybersecurity technologies in the region and in a way that expands opportunities for U.S. companies.”

President of FRM, Vinicio Mella, said, “We are excited to embark on this partnership with USTDA, HudsonTrident, and our colleagues throughout the port and telecommunications sectors in the Dominican Republic.  This technical assistance represents a fundamental step forward in modernizing port infrastructure throughout the Dominican Republic to further facilitate trade with the U.S. and the greater Latin America region.”

USTDA’s Peter Greenwood signed the grant along with FRM President Vinicio Mella at APORDOM’s offices in Santo Domingo following remarks led by APORDOM’s Director Victor Gómez Casanova and U.S. Senior Commercial Officer for the Caribbean Bryan Larson. HudsonTrident CEO Cynthia Hudson and representatives from the Dominican port and information technology sectors were also present at the grant signing.