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The Office of Naval Research wrapped up a week of industry outreach in Arlington, Va., on Sept. 24, pairing two forums aimed at speeding new technologies to the fleet and force.
Innovation Industry Days ran Sept. 21-22, followed by Focus Area Technical Exchanges (ONR TECHx) Sept. 23-24, all at George Mason University’s Mason Square in Ballston. According to ONR, the back-to-back events drew about 300 participants from the defense, commercial and emerging technology sectors.
“What we saw this week was industry showing up ready to solve real problems, not hypothetical ones,” said Dr. Thomas Fu, ONR Executive Director performing the duties of Chief of Naval Research. “The direct dialogue between our program officers and our partners is exactly how we close technology gaps faster and get capability into the hands of Sailors and Marines sooner.”
During I2D, ONR leaders and technical experts outlined 15-year science and technology roadmaps across 11 focus areas, describing research opportunities, challenges and technology needs for the Navy and Marine Corps. The areas ranged from artificial intelligence and autonomy, C5ISR and naval space, and directed energy and kinetic systems to materials and electronics, human and biological systems, manufacturing, naval engineering and aerospace, ocean-atmosphere-space science, power and energy, and undersea systems.
The format combined large portfolio briefings with smaller, focused office hours to foster two-way technical exchanges. ONR TECHx built on the broader sessions with targeted discussions and one-on-one meetings between industry partners and ONR program officers and technical leads.
More than 200 of the companies in attendance were new performers for ONR, the organization said. Event organizers added that the smaller-group structure allowed attendees to dig into specific research priorities, share capabilities and explore potential collaboration pathways.
ONR said I2D and ONR TECHx are intended to provide more frequent opportunities for technical engagement aligned to the Navy and Marine Corps’ focus areas.
