DARPA Forward has been taking national security innovation on the road. Since August – and through December 2022 – six regional events were scheduled at leading research and development universities nationwide to connect Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency leaders with new communities of talent and partnerships. The ultimate goal: to energize regional and national innovation ecosystems, fuel breakthroughs in national security, and help deliver the U.S. technological advantage.
Attendees hear from world-renowned scientists, accomplished innovators, and senior defense leaders about new capabilities as well as the rapidly evolving challenges faced by warfighters. In addition, attendees will have an opportunity to dive into diverse topics within and across multiple domains and disciplines, including air/space, ground, virtual, social, bio/medical, electromagnetic, materials/manufacturing, maritime, and computing/AI/cyber.
Throughout its more than 60-year history, DARPA has challenged researchers from across academia, industry, and government to create transformative solutions to national security problems. Many of these solutions also have benefited daily civilian life. “With DARPA Forward, we want to inspire new thinking across and at the intersection of disciplines to support our mission of creating technological surprise,” said Dr. Stefanie Tompkins, DARPA Director. “We want people to take from these events a desire to help change the world for the better and to know working with DARPA is a tangible way to do it.” (1)
As these will be hybrid conferences, DARPA invites you to join them in person for one event and virtually for as many as you’d like.
Previous DARPA Forward sessions included:
- August 30-31 – Fort Collins, CO at Colorado State University
- September 13-14 – Pullman, WA at Washington State University
- October 4-5 – Columbus, OH at The Ohio State University
- October 25-26 – Atlanta, GA at Georgia Institute of Technology
Upcoming DARPA Forward sessions include:
- November 15-16 – College Station, TX at Texas A&M University
- December 13-14 – San Diego, CA at University of California, San Diego
Both are available for attendance via virtual registration.
Areas of discussion on the agenda at the College Station event include:
- Critical Biomedical Challenges for Prolonged Field Care
- Thriving in Austere Environments
- Demo: Atomic Magnetometer for Biological Imaging in Earth’s Native Terrain (AMBIIENT)
- Closing the Loop on Learning
- Demo: Make It
- Technology Revolutions – Seeds of Revolution
- Constructive, Virtual, Live Testing
- Keynote Address: Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet
- Breakthroughs in Field Robotics
- Keynote Address: Honorable Doug Bush, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology
- Composing Effects in the Joint Battlespace
- Discover/Develop/Deliver
- Enabling Next-Generation Communications
- Bio to Bits
- Demo: Friend or Foe
- Non-Equilibrium Nanophotonics
- Cyber Operations: The Stakes are Only Getting Higher
- Internet Freedom and Privacy
- Keynote Address: Honorable Christine Wormuth, Secretary of the Army
Areas of discussion on the agenda at the San Diego event include:
- Interpreting and Developing Interventions for Warfighter Health and Performance
- Bits to Bio
- Expanding Operations in the Arctic
- Demo: Mobile Force Protection (MFP)
- Engineering Polyketide Synthases for Synthetic Chemistry
- Medical Triage Challenge
- Keynote Address: LTG Scott Dingle, Surgeon General, US Army
- Quantum: Separating the Real from the Hype
- Russian Information Operations in Ukraine
- Software Development and Assurance Pipeline
- Broadscale Innovations to Detect and Combat Disease
- Quantum Computing
- Pushing the Limits of Technology
- Demo: Extreme Optics and Imaging (EXTREME)
- Next-Generation Communication
- Future G in the DoD
- Demo: Ocean of Things
- Power Everywhere
Stay Informed
It should go without saying that tracking threats are critical to inform your actions. This includes reading our OODA Daily Pulse, which will give you insights into the nature of the threat and risks to business operations.
Related Reading:
Explore OODA Research and Analysis
Use OODA Loop to improve your decision-making in any competitive endeavor. Explore OODA Loop
Decision Intelligence
The greatest determinant of your success will be the quality of your decisions. We examine frameworks for understanding and reducing risk while enabling opportunities. Topics include Black Swans, Gray Rhinos, Foresight, Strategy, Strategies, Business Intelligence, and Intelligent Enterprises. Leadership in the modern age is also a key topic in this domain. Explore Decision Intelligence
Disruptive/Exponential Technology
We track the rapidly changing world of technology with a focus on what leaders need to know to improve decision-making. The future of tech is being created now and we provide insights that enable optimized action based on the future of tech. We provide deep insights into Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, Quantum Computing, Security Technology, and Space Technology. Explore Disruptive/Exponential Tech
Security and Resiliency
Security and resiliency topics include geopolitical and cyber risk, cyber conflict, cyber diplomacy, cybersecurity, nation-state conflict, non-nation-state conflict, global health, international crime, supply chain, and terrorism. Explore Security and Resiliency
Community
The OODA community includes a broad group of decision-makers, analysts, entrepreneurs, government leaders, and tech creators. Interact with and learn from your peers via online monthly meetings, OODA Salons, the OODAcast, in-person conferences, and an online forum. For the most sensitive discussions interact with executive leaders via a closed Wickr channel. The community also has access to a member-only video library. Explore The OODA Community.