The National Security Innovation Network (NSIN), in partnership with Decisive Point, presents NSIN Propel New York, enabling the development of next-generation applications of emerging dual-use technology for government and defense.

The NSIN Propel New York accelerator program is a collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Information Directorate, the premier research organization for command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence (C4I) and cyber technologies for the U.S. Air Force.

The program aims to recruit companies with technology solutions that are prime for adaptation to address the operational imperatives of the U.S. Air Force (USAF) and broader U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) community. The cohort of early-stage ventures will pursue pathways to test, evaluate, and deliver cutting-edge capabilities to enable the U.S. Air Force to deter conflict and project power against pacing challenges.

The cohort will directly engage with DoD end-users to better understand real-world challenges, build a foundation for doing business with the DoD, and work closely with the accelerator team to design pilots around the national security applications of their technology. Selected companies will also gain access to a robust network of private investors and commercial partners.

Key Dates

  • Apr. 4, 2023: Open Call
  • Apr. 14, 2023: Information Session
  • May 8, 2023: Applications Due
  • Jun. 26 - Sep. 30, 2023: Startups in Program
  • Sep. 2023: Demo Day (TBD)

Who Should Apply?

U.S.-based early-stage ventures seeking an opportunity to expand into the federal market with technologies initially developed for commercial applications.

Areas of Focus

Resilient Basing

  • The USAF will increasingly rely on a distributed network of smaller, mobile bases to conduct operations. To support this capability, the USAF is looking for:
  • Communications to function in contested, degraded, or operationally limited environments.
  • Force protection and perimeter security to include counter-unmanned aerial systems (UAS).
  • Modeling and simulation solutions that provide an integrated workflow with a picture for base security and operations.

Moving Target Engagement

  • The USAF requires the ability to identify, track, and rapidly respond to numerous threats simultaneously. To support this capability, the USAF is looking for:
  • Next generation sensors, object detection, signal processing, and early-warning systems to quickly alert to threats
  • Artificial-intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) for object detection and classification, with the ability to identify patterns of life, augmenting existing capability and deploys at scale in new environments with minimal data and training.

Operationally Focused Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS)

  • There is a need to collect, process, and share information faster than ever before in order to make operational decisions. To support this capability, the USAF is looking for:
  • New networking or communications solutions that enable state-of-the-art information sharing between diverse systems.
  • Platforms that use AI or data fusion to rapidly process large amounts of data to support operational decisions.
  • Software that develops machine-readable representations that depict how a network of real-world objects, events, or concepts are related.

Apply Now

Applications are now closed.

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