Developing experiences to do business with the DoD.

Overview

The Propel Economic Development Initiative (EDI) is an iteration of the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN) Propel program designed to stimulate U.S. economic development by addressing U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) problems that will help shore up the U.S. industrial base and address critical technology needs. The Propel-EDI cohort seeks to match DoD problem holders with non-traditional commercial solution providers and align potential government funding opportunities.

Challenge

For the upcoming cohort, NSIN has partnered with Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) and its Radio Frequency (RF) and Optoelectronics Division, an innovative DoD laboratory that seeks to upgrade to the Navy’s microelectronics solutions.

Problem Statement

The U.S. has invested heavily in the development of advanced RF front-end components and manufacturing technologies, such as Gallium Nitride (GaN) monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs), high-bandwidth co-packaged optics, and low-Size, Weight, and Power (SWAP) multi-chip packages. In order to accelerate the adoption of these innovations into domestic RF systems, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) seeks U.S.–based industry partners capable of designing, integrating, and manufacturing RF transceiver units and/or edge compute units which leverage open architectural frameworks (e.g., O-RAN, SOSA, etc.) and function at state-of-the-art and leading-edge frequencies.

Solution

NSIN is looking to partner with non-traditional businesses to help solve NSWC Crane’s challenges (noted in the prior section).

Meet the 2024 Propel EDI Cohort

California

Massachusetts

Florida

New Jersey

Timing and Commitment

The Propel-EDI Cohort will take place between Dec. 4, 2023 and Feb. 23, 2024. Selected companies will participate in approximately 10-15 hours of programming per week during this time. Companies will not be expected to actively participate in programming during the winter holidays.

As part of the cohort, we ask that participants commit to attending virtual programming for a 12-week period. This virtual time will include interactions with government stakeholders, including problem-holders and end-users, potential industry partners, and with the Propel-EDI team to develop and refine your concept. With the help of the Propel EDI team, participants will develop a submission to inform the government of your proposed solution. Cohort companies that successfully meet the needs of NSWC Crane will have the opportunity to participate and conduct work under planned NSWC Crane development projects.

Apply

Applications for Propel-EDI have closed. Please check back to apply to future cohorts.

Questions

Please direct any questions to propel@NSIN.mil.