Think your agile small business is too nimble to power the nation’s defense? This track lays out the definitive blueprint to break into the DLA R&D ecosystem and rapidly scale your breakthrough ideas via the SBIR Phase III pathway. Join us to transform your entrepreneurial ambition into a trusted, high-impact federal partnership that strengthens our national supply chain.
Topic 1 – Beyond the Blueprint: Scaling with SBIR Phase III at DLA
Transitioning a proven technology from a prototype to an enterprise-wide solution is the ultimate goal of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. This session acts as a strategic guide for small businesses on how to successfully navigate the SBIR Phase III commercialization process, specifically tailored for DLA J6 (Information Operations) and J7 (Acquisition). We will explore how to leverage Phase III’s unique authorities to deliver scalable IT, cybersecurity, and readiness solutions to the DoW.
Topic 2 – Forging the Future: Navigating the Supplier Pathway Program for R&D
Entering the DLA’s Research & Development ecosystem can be complex for new or non-traditional small businesses/suppliers. This session unpacks the Supplier Pathway Program, offering a direct, actionable route for innovative companies to introduce cutting-edge technologies. Led by SBO, this discussion will highlight how industry can align its R&D efforts with DLA’s strategic push for supply chain resilience and digital modernization.
Topics 3 – Fueling Innovation: Federal Finance and Avenues to Capital
Great ideas require sustained capital to survive the defense acquisition lifecycle. Small businesses often struggle not with the technology, but with the financial runway needed to partner with the government. Coordinated with the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP/DoC), this session provides a comprehensive overview of how non-traditional vendors can secure the necessary funding to develop, scale, and deliver solutions for DLA.
National security is not built in isolation; it is forged through powerful global coalitions. This track deep-dives into the critical capabilities and bold partnerships required to sustain and protect the Defense, Organic, and Global (D.O.G.) Industrial Base. Join key leaders to help co-create the unbreakable, highly adaptive supply network of tomorrow.
Topic 1 – From Procurement to Delivery: Tackling Cross- Sector Supply Chain Pain
Public and private supply chains share the same fault lines—demand volatility, limited visibility across tiers, workforce and capacity constraints, single-source dependencies, and long lead times—yet the two sectors often respond in isolation. This session brings together government and industry leaders to compare where their pain points converge and diverge, examining how DLA, DoW, and commercial partners can align demand signals, diversify sourcing, improve cross-tier visibility, and share risk to build supply chains that are more transparent, resilient, and responsive across both sectors.
Topic 2 – Industrial Bases on the Rise: Building Resilience, Readiness, and Strategic Advantage for the Future Fight
Understanding the industrial base means understanding the network that supports military readiness. This ecosystem includes major defense contractors, small businesses, manufacturing facilities, transportation systems, raw material suppliers, technology innovators, and strategic partners across government and industry. This session will go over how every link in this chain contributes to the DoW’s ability to project power and maintain operational readiness.
Topic 3 – Responsible AI, Governance, and Legal and Ethical Risks
During this session you examine how DoW can build the governance structures, policies, standards, workflows, and workforce skills needed to adopt AI responsibly and sustain it through leadership changes and shifting mission demands. Ensuring systems are prepared to operate together at scale with legal and ethical consideration.
The modern battlefield demands next-generation speed, and digital superiority is the key to victory. This hands-on track explores how we are revolutionizing global supply chains using advanced digitization, automation, and autonomous Agentic AI. Discover how these breakthrough technologies support our warfighters across the entire operational spectrum of peace, crisis, and conflict.
Topic 1 – Digitization: The Data-Driven Vanguard
DLA’s Data-Driven Vanguard transformed logistics by harnessing insights from our digital experts across the enterprise. This session empowers industry, academia, and services with actionable intelligence, inviting the audience to advance and become a part of DLA’s digital journey and beyond.
Topic 2 – Automation: Accelerating the Mission
DLA is scaling enterprise automation to streamline internal logistics plans by uniting insights from our autonomous experts. This session focuses on digital foundation will help businesses boost their speed and accuracy, directly enabling seamless, and high-velocity collaboration to provide solutions to DLA’s problem areas.
Topic 3 – The AI Journey: Agentic AI and Beyond
DLA is scaling enterprise automation to streamline internal logistics plans by uniting insights from our autonomous experts. This session focuses on digital foundation will help businesses boost their speed and accuracy, directly enabling seamless, and high-velocity collaboration to provide solutions to DLA’s problem areas.
The next national security breakthrough is waiting to be unlocked in a university lab or classroom. This track serves as a vital bridge to connect government leaders with academia’s most brilliant young minds and cutting-edge research. Engage with this untapped talent pool to help build and inspire the highly skilled, mission-driven workforce of tomorrow.
Topic 1 – Why Partner with Universities?
We actively recruit and foster PaCE applicants while encouraging industry leaders to transition into critical DLA roles. By partnering with academia and sister government agencies, we strengthen recruitment and retention. This session will review how to master the hiring process and learn essential tips on how and when to apply it’s benefits.
Topic 2 – DLA PaCE Program & Recruiting Opportunities
We actively recruit and foster PaCE applicants while encouraging industry leaders to transition into critical DLA roles. By partnering with academia and sister government agencies, we strengthen recruitment and retention. This session will review how to master the hiring process and learn essential tips on how and when to apply it’s benefits.
Topic 3 – Research & Development Funding Opportunities : Fueling Academic Innovation
The Department of War (DoW), Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), and Whole-of-Government (WOG) partners actively champion academic excellence. Discover federal grants, research contracts, and agile agreement pathways tailored to transition your university’s breakthrough technologies and scientific discoveries into critical national security capabilities.
Solving the military’s toughest operational challenges requires aligning tactical friction points with revolutionary technologies. This collaborative track provides a direct look into the emerging innovation pathways that will define the future of defense logistics. Gain the vital foresight needed to direct your research efforts where they will have the absolute greatest impact on warfighter lethality.
Topic 1 – Empowering the Warfighter: Cross-Service R&D Priorities & Alignment
This session gives service leaders a forum to share their priorities, identify where needs overlap or diverge, and discuss how DLA can better support the warfighter through logistics, sustainment, supply availability, and transition support. This session will provide knowledge on service-level demand signals and where DLA, industry, and academic partners can help connect separate efforts into stronger joint outcomes.
Topic 2 – Where are they Now? Previous ICD Winners
Catch up with past ICD winners and hear about their progress since their projects were showcased.
Topic 3 – Partnering with DLA R&D: From First Conversation to Mission Impact
Participants will gain insight into DLA’s technology priorities, collaboration mechanisms, contracting pathways, and innovation programs that enable industry and government to work together in solving logistics challenges. During this session you will discover how successful partnerships move beyond transactional relationships to become long-term contributors to national defense readiness. Participants will understand not only how to start the conversation, but also how to position their organizations to deliver measurable mission impact across the defense logistics enterprise.
