On July 24, AFWERX, the U.S. Air Force’s innovation arm and catalyst for fostering innovation within the Air Force, announces the selection of more than 350 participating teams from the 1,500+ submissions from across the globe to compete in the Base of the Future challenge at the upcoming AFWERX Fusion 2020 showcase and virtual event July 28-30, 2020.
The diverse group of participating teams – originating from the vast regions of North America, Europe, Australia and other allied countries represent entrepreneurial startups, small businesses, large enterprises, academic institutions and research labs who are all vying to build the Base of the Future and modernize the Department of Defense.
During the showcase, the selected teams will display some of the most advanced solutions, technologies and innovations to Air Force leadership and key military decision-makers and operators. For a complete list of participating teams visit fusion.afwerxshowcase.com.
“Our goal is to select the best solutions and guide the teams through future contracting, funding and prototyping to further develop their concept into real-word implementation to benefit the Air Force, our warfighters, the Department of Defense and allied partners worldwide,” stated Mark Rowland of AFWERX. “The AFWERX Base of the Future Challenge is critical to our mission of increasing collaboration between large businesses and entrepreneurs to accelerate solutions for the Air Force.”
The Base of the Future theme was inspired by Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, which was decimated by Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 storm that occurred in 2018. For decades, Tyndall had been home to many generations of Airmen and their families. In the storm’s aftermath, nearly 500 buildings were destroyed or damaged beyond repair. Thousands of Airmen and their families were displaced and forced to leave a part of their lives behind. Fortunately, Congress approved a $3 billion military construction rebuild program, sparking hope that Tyndall would reemerge stronger than ever before.
The aspirational initiative seeks to create a robust installation that will become a universal symbol of innovation and excellence that can scale across the United States Air Force. To accelerate this work, AFWERX, in association with Tyndall Air Force Base stakeholders and other Department of Defense entities, launched six open challenges to attract solutions to help bring the Base of the Future to life by innovating in the following critical areas:
- Enhance Base Security and Defense
- Improve Installation Resilience
- Leveraging Technology for Operational Effectiveness
- Enabling Technologies for Reverse Engineering and Additive / Agile Manufacturing
- Strengthen Culture of Innovation Within the Air Force
- Empowering Airman and Family Well-Being
The AFWERX Fusion 2020 event also features a dynamic line-up of keynote speakers, panels and fireside chats with executives from Google, Duke University, MGM Resorts International, Friday Pulse, U.S. Air Force, Department of Defense and much more. The event also features highly engaging networking, happy hours, and a host of special guest cameo appearances. Register at afwerxfusion.com.
Source: AFWERX
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