June 4, 2026 — The Intelligent Systems Division of Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has strengthened its commitment to quality, security and continuous improvement with three key certifications. The division added a new cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) milestone and renewed its Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI®) and ISO 9001 quality management certifications.
“These certifications demonstrate SwRI’s dedication to delivering secure and reliable transportation solutions and critical systems across a wide range of technical domains,” said Josh Johnson, executive director SwRI’s Intelligent Transportation Systems and High-Reliability Department. “SwRI is committed to being a trusted partner for high-consequence projects, offering a strong blend of technical expertise, process discipline, security assurance and quality focus.”
CMMI confirms SwRI’s disciplined, high-maturity processes and engineering rigor. CMMC validates its robust cybersecurity protections aligned with federal contract expectations. ISO 9001 certification demonstrates a strong, auditable quality management framework.
All three certifications support SwRI’s applied research using computer science and engineering disciplines to solve challenges in transportation, manufacturing and medical environments. SwRI-developed intelligent transportation systems (ITS), including the ActiveITS™ advanced traffic management system (ATMS), are deployed in more than 60 traffic centers across 14 states.
At the 2026 ITS America Conference & Expo, June 9-12 in Detroit, SwRI researchers will participate in a variety of panels and presentations, discussing how SwRI is working with government and industry to integrate artificial intelligence and data interoperability into new transportation technologies. Visit SwRI at Booth # 331.
“Adhering to current industry standards and certifications is absolutely critical to maintaining the quality and security of new technologies. In addition, as technology rapidly advances, we are discovering the need to develop new standards,” said Institute Engineer Mike Brown, who will participate in the June 9 panel discussion, “Building Interoperable Mobility: The ongoing Work of ISO TC204.”
CMMI is a proven industry framework that helps organizations improve capabilities across critical areas such as project management, engineering and service delivery. SwRI’s renewed CMMI certification demonstrates its systems and software engineering processes meet internationally recognized best practices for performance and process maturity.
“Maintaining this appraisal provides objective validation that our teams follow disciplined, repeatable processes that reduce risk, improve predictability and enable high-value outcomes for clients,” said Bryan Scott, a program manager in SwRI’s Transportation Innovation Section.
SwRI compliance to the CMMC framework further strengthens its cybersecurity posture and readiness to support federal projects. CMMC is the United States government’s unified standard for implementing cybersecurity across the defense industrial base. Based on the NIST 800-171 cyber guidelines, CMMC establishes a tiered model of maturity levels that require organizations to demonstrate robust protection of controlled unclassified information and other sensitive data.
“Achieving this certification milestone indicates SwRI’s cybersecurity controls, practices and policies meet stringent government requirements,” said Dr. Steve Dellenback, vice president of SwRI’s Intelligent Systems Division.
SwRI has renewed its ISO 9001 certification, affirming its quality management system conforms to the internationally recognized ISO 9001 standard. Conforming with ISO 9001 ensures consistent delivery of products and services that meet client and regulatory requirements, with a strong focus on customer satisfaction, risk management and continual improvement. This certification spans a wide range of research, engineering and development activities, ensuring quality is systematically built into every phase of the project lifecycle.
To learn more, visit its.swri.org or contact Robert Crowe, +1 210 522 4630, Communications Department, Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238-5166.