DIA briefs industry on its requirements and procedures

DIA official briefs industry representatives
DIA official briefs
industry representatives

DIA welcomed more than 500 industry partners on June 24 and 25 at its Washington, DC, headquarters for the second annual Innovation Symposium. The event is an opportunity for members of industry to hear from DIA’s senior leaders about current business practices, challenges and innovation efforts.

DIA Director Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn kicked off the symposium, saying that, first and foremost, “Innovation is about people. The most important thing we can innovate is between our ears.”

As the first day continued, attendees heard from the agency’s top leaders about research and development; training needs; open-source intelligence; acquisition and contracting; and the Intelligence Community Information Technology Enterprise, or IC ITE.

“We are looking to match our mission needs with the best options out there,” Dan Doney, DIA’s innovation officer, told the industry representatives.

The second day will focus on the launch of DIA’s new Open Innovation Gateway, an online tool designed to increase collaboration and decrease red tape, all while protecting a company’s intellectual property.

The first Innovation Day was held in 2013. This year the event was expanded to two days with more than 20 senior leaders presenting and 150 industry partners, both large and small, exhibiting and demonstrating their capabilities.