Washington, D.C. –
The Defense Intelligence Agency held a ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the opening of its new Innovation Hub (iHUB) Aug. 22 at DIA Headquarters on Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling.
“This is a place where we can bring our challenges and work on them with our industry partners,” DIA Director LtGen Vincent Stewart said.
DIA’s iHUB virtually links entrepreneurs to the agency in a collaborative environment in which they can evaluate and test technology with potential intelligence benefits. The opening of the new iHub marks a significant milestone in DIA’s innovation mission.
“A year ago, the director charged us with developing the Innovation Hub,” said Al Bolden, chief of DIA’s Innovation Office. “We were challenged to partner with industry to find solutions that aid our decision advantage, and this new facility gives us the ability to do just that.”
Until now, DIA’s iHUB had been operating in a temporary space. The newly created facility is designed to enhance collaboration between DIA officers who have technology needs for specific problem sets and entrepreneurs who have applications that potentially can meet the needs.
Since last Fall, DIA has hosted quarterly Industry Day events at the iHub designed to find new capabilities and business processes developed in private sector and academia. The third quarter Industry Days were held in two parts: Aug. 2-3 and Aug. 21-22. The event was split due to an overwhelming response from industry and academic institutions. Future Industry Day events will be announced on DIA’s innovation page, www.dia.mil/business/needipedia.aspx, and DIA social media platforms.
DIA's mission is to provide intelligence on foreign militaries and operating environments that delivers decision advantage to prevent and decisively win wars. Nearly 50 percent of DIA's 16,500 employees are stationed outside Washington, DC at national intelligence centers, combatant commands, combat zones, and defense attaché offices worldwide in more than 140 countries.