DIU strengthens our national security by accelerating the adoption of leading commercial technology throughout the military and growing the national security innovation base. We award scalable contracts to companies offering solutions to national security challenges across a variety of technology areas.
Who We Are / Our Mission
Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)
Accelerate DoD adoption of commercial technology
Transform military capacity and capabilities
Strengthen the national security innovation base
The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) strengthens national security by accelerating the adoption of commercial technology throughout the military and bolstering our allied and national security innovation bases. DIU partners with organizations across the Department of Defense (DoD)to rapidly prototype and field dual-use capabilities that solve operational challenges at speed and scale. DIU is strategically embedded across the country, with team members distributed in the Northwest, Pacific, Southwest, Rocky Mountain, Midwest, Southeast, National Capital, and Northeast regions.
DIU is the only DoD organization focused exclusively on fielding and scaling commercial technology across the U.S. military at commercial speeds. Our expert team, working in seven critical technology sectors, engages directly within the venture capital and commercial technology innovation ecosystem, many of which are working with the DoD for the first time. Our streamlined process delivers prototypes to our DoD partners, along with scalable revenue opportunities for our commercial vendors, within 12 to 24 months.
Upon completion, successful prototypes may transition to follow-on production-Other Transaction agreements or Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)-based contracts.
Transparency
Every year, we produce an annual report to provide public insight into what we have done and where we are going. These reports offer a snapshot of how we are performing against our mission, project highlights and updates, organizational evolution, and leadership’s goals and expectations for the coming calendar year. Browse our reports to learn more about the value we create and how you might work with us in the future.
*Note: In prior annual reports, we based our metrics and performance on calendar year data. Starting in FY 2021, DIU will present metrics and performance on a fiscal year basis. This shift will enable us to better align with DoD and Congressional funding cycles.
Thought Leadership & Reform
Technological innovation is central to our future economic prosperity and national security. DIU seeks to provide examples of how government, businesses, and academia can work together more effectively to maintain the nation’s competitiveness today - and lay the foundation for future advances. The short papers and resources featured below highlight DIU’s broader strategic work and lessons we've learned along the way.
Our Offices
DIU has moved to a regional approach based out of these five satellite offices to better connect with the labs, bases, accelerators, and investors where we may not have a presence. Email info@diu.mil for more information.
DIU Organizations
DIU brings innovation missions together to strengthen the national security innovation base. In addition to our original mission, Pentagon leadership in 2019 directed DIU to assume oversight of NSIN and NSIC, which operate as two distinct DoD organizations with complementary innovation missions.
Do you have a solution to a national security challenge?
We currently have 3 Open Solicitations