DIA welcomed more than 500 industry partners June 24-25 at
its Washington, D.C., headquarters for the second annual Innovation Symposium.
The event is an opportunity for members of industry to hear from DIA’s senior
leaders about current business practices, challenges and innovation efforts.
DIA Director Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn kicked off the symposium,
saying that, first and foremost, “Innovation is about
people. The most important thing we can innovate is between our ears.”
As the first day continued,
attendees heard from the agency’s top leaders about research and development; NeedipeDIA’s first year; training needs; open-source intelligence;
acquisition and contracting; and the Intelligence Community Information Technology Enterprise, or IC ITE.
“We are looking to match our mission
needs with the best options out there," Dan Doney, DIA’s innovation
officer, told the industry representatives.
The second day will focus on the
launch of DIA’s new Open Innovation Gateway, an online tool designed to
increase collaboration and decrease red tape, all while protecting a company’s
intellectual property.
The first Innovation Day was held in
2013. This year the event was expanded to two days with more than 20 senior
leaders presenting and 150 industry partners, both large and small, exhibiting
and demonstrating their capabilities.