Defense Innovation OnRamp

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), Office of the Secretary of Defense, is interested in receiving proposals for its Defense Innovation OnRamp. DIU is building a unified Defense Innovation OnRamp, which will include Flagship DIU offices, physical presence via a distributed team, physical and digital OnRamp Hubs, and other relationships with the academic, startup, and commercial sectors to enable non-traditional, dual-use, and/or commercial technology companies to work with the Department of Defense to rapidly support warfighter needs.

The Defense Innovation Unit is focused on strengthening the national security innovation base by lowering the barriers to entry for talent and non-traditional companies to work with DoD. The Defense Innovation OnRamp is a core part of DIU’s strategy to develop a robust regional presence in order to tap into the extant commercial technology ecosystems and innovation base. This strategy includes distributed DIU offices, a regional team, OnRamp Hubs, and other relationships with the academic, startup and commercial sectors. At present, DIU operates out of 5 regional offices, has approximately 30 regionally focused representatives, and partners with over 100 universities. In the last year, DIU, with extensive support from Congress, established five OnRamp Hubs in Phoenix, Arizona; Dayton, Ohio; Honolulu, Hawaii; Seattle, Washington, and Wichita, Kansas.  

The recipient(s) will design, develop and manage a network of offices, physical and digital hubs, and other collaborative partnerships and projects designed to lower the barriers for entry for commercial and dual-use technology into the DoD. This will involve collaboration between a diverse set of stakeholders including private industry, private capital, research organizations, government stakeholders, academia, regional economic development organizations, DoD mission partners, other government entities, and others, with the intent of sourcing, developing, and executing viable solutions that lower entry barriers while attracting and helping scale new commercial technology and talent into the national security innovation base. The recipient(s) sought for this NFO will provide direction to improve the ways in which non-traditional companies and talent can work with the Department of Defense and grow regional defense innovation ecosystems, and oversee the execution. These efforts should be aligned with the types of commercial and dual-use technology that DIU is bringing into the Department with the speed and scale required for strategic effect. DIU will expect recipient(s) of this award to provide infrastructure for the Defense Innovation OnRamp. This could include areas such as coordination, knowledge sharing, resource management, ensuring standardization of tools and governance, and conducting regular performance management for work through this effort. The recipient(s) will also oversee and/or coordinate projects led by other organizations that address barriers for working with DoD, and through that, enhance the national security innovation base through regionally-driven efforts. These will include the ability to oversee collaborative initiatives and teams from DoD, industry, academia, government, and other key stakeholders; development of regional ecosystems; expertise in obtaining the necessary resources from DoD and industry resource sponsors; and public-private partnerships.