Fall Fed Supernova Schedule
Tuesday, September 28, 2021
SBIR Accelerator Showcase
Curious what kind of companies use the SBIR Program to snag non-dilutive capital and work with the DoD? Find out during an hour of rapid, back-to-back pitches from companies that recently completed the Capital Factory SBIR Accelerator.
You'll get a peek at some interesting technology, be introduced to impressive founders, and walk away with a better idea of the resources available to help you break into this huge market. This session will be moderated to keep us moving and maximize value for attendees.
Why Fed Supernova? A Message from Texas University Leaders
Don’t miss Capital Factory Founder & CEO Joshua Baer as he shares his reasons for creating this event, what it means for the innovation ecosystem in Texas and beyond, and what you can expect to experience during the next two days.
To help us kick off Fed Supernova, we’ve invited leaders from Texas’ premier universities to speak about their vision for Texas as the best state for defense innovation. As centers for national security research and development, Texas’ universities pave the way for innovators to drive critical defense solutions. How do academic institutions bridge the gap between industry and defense? More importantly -- which bridges can we begin to build now?
Joining Joshua Baer onstage are TAMU Chancellor, John Sharp, UT Dallas President, Dr. Richard Benson, and UTSA President, Dr. Taylor Eighmy, who will spotlight the power of Texas universities to align efforts and advance research toward the national interest.
Defense Innovation Unit Welcome Message and Overview
The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is the only Department of Defense organization focused exclusively on fielding and scaling commercial technology across the U.S. military. We're a fast-moving team that contracts with commercial companies to help solve critical national security problems — together.
Join us for an exciting and eye-opening day as we introduce you to DIU's mission and vision for pushing the edge of defense possibilities.
Fireside Chat: SECDEF Innovation Priorities
"Build Back Better" is President Biden’s three-part agenda to rescue, recover, and rebuild the economy. This agenda embraces a whole of government approach and the Department of Defense will play a significant role, not only in maintaining a strong national security, but as an economic enabler.
Join this session to learn how the Department of Defense will defend the United States guided by three priorities; defending the nation, taking care of people and succeeding through teamwork. Creating opportunities for new-to-government companies to take advantage of its resources will play a major part in the Department’s plans and during this conversation you will receive behind-the-scenes insights from leadership within the Office of the Secretary of Defense as they discuss administration and defense priorities.
AFWERX and SpaceWERX Overview
Established in 2017 by the Secretary of the Air Force, AFWERX connects innovators across government, industry, and academia to accelerate commercial technologies that can solve military problems. By harnessing the ingenuity of internal talent and creating novel programs to help small businesses, AFWERX is spearheading a new normal for military-civilian partnerships.
Join Col. Nathan Diller and Lt. Col. Rock McMillan to learn more about AFWERX and SpaceWERX, its Space Force affiliated arm, as well what these new approaches mean for the nation’s economy, for its defense, and for you.
Empowering Innovation at the Operational Edge
End-user feedback is an essential part of product and software development for most companies. After all, no one knows how a tool actually performs (or should perform) better than the people who use it every day. That’s why DODx organizations are finding creative ways to bring service members directly into the military R&D process — partnering men and women in uniform with commercial innovators to solve tactical-level problems as a team.
Learn how AFWERX is driving these collaborations through its grassroots innovation program, Spark, by connecting Air Force and Space Force intrapreneurs with top problem-solvers from industry, academia, and government. With a decentralized global network, Spark is growing the Air Force’s culture of innovation while turning locally generated ideas and projects into real-world applications.
ASF Overview and Welcome Message
Army Software Factory (ASF) is where Soldiers become innovators. The Army's first Soldier-led software factory is where cutting-edge software solutions are developed FOR Soldiers, BY Soldiers.
At Fed Supernova 2021, ASF will introduce you to the change-makers you need to meet in order advance our nation's capabilities and stay competitive. Join us for an overview of ASF at Fed Supernova and a welcome message from the organization's co-director.
ASF Keynote
Army Software Factory is bringing the big guns. Join ASF's keynote speaker for the scoop on defense software innovation.
The Secret to Building an Outcomes-based DoD Software Culture
Building software is hard. Doing it in the DoD is even harder. How have the Army, Navy, and Air Force figured out how to deliver outcomes in their software development organizations? The answers will surprise you. Join this session to learn more!
Outcomes Matter: Enabling Continuous Delivery to Avoid Innovation Theater
Continuous Delivery (CD) is the ability to get software into production — or into the hands of users — safely, quickly, and in a sustainable way. This engineering approach is critical to driving outcomes in software development organizations and in making sure they deliver software solutions rather than just promises.
Learn how adopting CD has allowed DoD software development organizations across the Air Force, Army, and beyond to deliver real outcomes rather than more innovation theater.
Innovare Advancement Center: Collaboration and Innovation in Action
By natural extension of its collaborative culture and inspired by the call to action underlying the 2030 S&T Strategy, the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate (AFRL/RI) has intensified its pursuit of new academic and industry partners with complementary capabilities to enable rapid performance cycles to meet the urgent demand for artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), cyber, quantum, and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) solutions that enhance the United States’ national security and economic competitiveness. With support from all levels of local, regional, state, and federal government, AFRL/RI has, in parallel to advancing new partnerships, led the development of a state-of-the-art open innovation environment just “over the fence” to expand the Lab’s reach into academic, industry, and startup partners who have vastly extended the Lab’s own capabilities, leveraging diverse computing systems, chip fabrication facilities, novel university technologies, and other federal programs and venture capital investments.
This panel will explore the new Innovare Advancement Center in Rome, NY, it’s aggressive five year strategy to establish 100 new technical partners, 100 new entrepreneurial ventures, and elevate the community’s intellectual leadership in its core technical areas. The panelists represent various members of the Innovare community, to include AFRL and the Griffiss Institute and will discuss opportunities to engage in these critical National Defense areas.
Doing Business with DoD: Acquiring Software From Industry
The DoD acquisition enterprise can be challenging to navigate. Software intensive efforts in the Air Force, Army, and Navy are leveraging commercial technologies and agile methodology to more rapidly deliver new capabilities to the warfighter.
This panel will include speakers from the Air Force's Kessel Run, Army Software Factory, and Navy Black Pearl software practice for a discussion of how each approaches innovation and engagement with industry. Join us to gain insights into key focus areas and recommendations for successful collaboration between government and Industry.
Wednesday, September 29, 2021
Army Futures Command Welcome and Overview
LTG Thomas Todd is Army Futures Command's chief innovation officer. He will share more about the work his team performs behind the scenes, its focus areas for the future, and how Army Futures Command sees the partnership between the Army and industry evolving to help both sides reach their goals.
Opportunity Knocks: A Snapshot of Army Technology Priorities
Modular open system architectures. Shared data repositories. Computer vision. These aren't just Silicon Valley concerns. The U.S. Army uses many of the same technologies as the commercial market and has many of the same needs — from wearables to robotics, electric vehicles to mixed reality, and beyond.
In this session, technologists and leaders from across the Army will come together to offer a snapshot of their top-priority technology areas and announce opportunities for companies that may have never worked with the government to get involved.
The Future of Defense Innovation
In 2018, the US Army launched the Army Applications Laboratory (AAL) as an innovation unit embedded within Army Futures Command. Its goal: Foster opportunities to work with untapped companies that could bring dual-use technology and novel ideas to Army modernization.
Join this session to hear AAL's new director, COL Jay Wisham, discuss his observations of the defense innovation space, share what the team has achieved to date, and explain the organization's vision for the future as it works to make the Army a better business partner for small- and mid-sized companies.
Culture Change in the Department: Engaging Non-traditional Problem Solvers Through Collaboration
“Innovation” is just change by another name. While change can be difficult, it’s also essential to progress. And those necessary changes are often realized through a shift in perspective or by adopting lessons learned from a parallel field. The DoD has acknowledged that. Now, it’s time to put that understanding into practice.
By creating spaces for students and service members to work together, NSIN is driving critical collisions and intellectual diversity into the DoD. Join us to learn how NSIN's Collaboration Portfolio connects the right people from across DoD, academia, venture, and beyond to better understand problems and discover new solutions — together.
Lightning Talk: SBIR
Join us for a presentation on how the Department of Navy SBIR program is mobilizing to transition technology faster than ever before.
Lightning Talk: Tech Bridge Overview
Curious about what the NavalX Tech Bridges are? We've got just the session for you! The NavalX Tech Bridges are a connected network that enhances collaboration between Naval Labs, industry, academia, and other military branches. Join the Tech Bridges Director at NavalX for an overview of how to utilize the Tech Bridges ecosystems and tap into opportunities.
Lightning Talk: Naval Enterprise Sustainment Technology Team (NESTT)
Maintenance and sustainment are not glamorous concepts — at least, they didn’t used to be. Now, however, the military is incorporating Industry 5.0-style technology to make sure the systems used on the front line are safe, efficient, and optimized to guard taxpayer dollars and keep the men and women who need them safe.
From mixed reality training to predictive maintenance to robotics, learn more about NESTT’s role in bringing innovative solutions to the Navy’s maintenance and sustainment challenges. Steve McKee will discuss how he and his team are connecting end users in Maintenance Depots across services to critical commercial technology through the SBIR program and beyond.
Lightning Talk: PEO IWS
The mission of the Program Executive Office, Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS) is to develop, deliver and sustain operationally dominant combat systems for Sailors. How? And what's next? Join this session to learn just that and also how NESTT is adapting its model to take advantage of commercial capabilities.
Ensuring Joint Success: The Next Step In Innovation for the Department
Where do we go from here? Take the next step with us as we hear from key leaders how joint solutions activate the full potential of defense innovation possibilities.
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