History
A proud past. A bright future.On February 20, 2007, Mitretek Systems became Noblis. It’s the newest chapter in a uniquely American history that dates back more than 60 years.
Today, Noblis is a dynamic nonprofit science, technology and strategy organization with many locations across the U.S. Our new name speaks to the great calling we have always had to use the best of science and technology to serve the public’s interest. And the roots of this great mission go back to the 1940s.
From MIT to MITRE.
During World War II, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) became a leading center for radar, communications and navigation technology. Faced with the threat of nuclear arms build up in the post-war years, the government funded Project Lincoln at MIT in the early 1950s to reexamine these technologies and explore their use in defending our nation from nuclear attack. Project Lincoln quickly led to the establishment of Lincoln Laboratory whose purpose was to further develop the MIT technologies into an air defense system for the United States.
The prototype for what became known as the Semi-Automated Ground Environment system, or “SAGE”, included radar systems much improved over the WWII versions, digital communication over telephone lines and advanced computers that could sort and present critical information for use by decision makers.
With the prototype built, the government decided to develop and install a fully operational system. A portion of MIT's Lincoln Laboratory was spun off as The MITRE Corporation*, taking on the tasks of system engineering and oversight for this highly complex project.
Among the first to use defense technology for the public good.
From the outset, MITRE had strong ties to the U.S. Department of Defense and deep roots in computational science and engineering. While SAGE was designed for the military purposes of tracking and destroying hostile aircraft, it didn’t take MITRE long to find an important civilian use for this advanced technology—and the nation’s first air traffic control system was born.
Eventually, MITRE decided to focus its efforts and resources on FFRDC support for DOD, FAA, and the IRS. 
In 1996, Mitretek Systems was formed as a completely independent nonprofit organization with a unique charter to apply science and technology in serving the public good.
As our sphere of endeavor grows, our mission and values remain the same. We have a passion to work on behalf of the public good and to make lasting contributions—the kind that save lives, enhance economic well-being, make people safer and healthier, and our homeland more secure.
And we continue another important aspect of our founding mission—transferring the knowledge we gain to public use.
*MIT, The MITRE Corporation and Mitretek Systems are independent and unrelated organizations.
