FAQS

NavalX is an official Department of the Navy (DON) organization that connects relevant solutions from small businesses, startups, and academia with Naval problems to address the Department of the Navy’s (DoN) most pressing challenges and operational needs faster. We are in the business of innovation for the U.S. Navy and United States Marines Corps (USMC).

As of October 1, 2023, NavalX sits within the Office of Naval Research (ONR), but our team works across the entire Naval enterprise as well as with joint innovation partners. We team closely with the Disruptive Capabilities Office (DCO), operational leaders, and nontraditional industry to speed product development and quickly get new technology into the hands of our Sailors and Marines.

Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, NavalX has a connected and expanding network of regional innovation hubs throughout the world, categorized as Tech Bridges. Learn more about our Tech Bridges and find the one nearest to you.

We exist for two reasons. First, NavalX aims to bridge the Valley of Death in Naval product development by identifying and applying innovative business models and helping Naval leaders field new technology faster and at lower costs. Second, we want to make it easier for companies that have never worked with the Navy or USMC to partner with us on those technologies. Private-public partnerships drove the high-tech revolution. We help reinvigorate and diversify those partnerships to support American ingenuity and national security today.

Officially, our mission is to power the rapid development and deployment of relevant technologies that solve Fleet-defined and Fleet-owned problems through a collaborative Naval Enterprise approach. We believe collaboration is at the center of innovation. With our human-centric approach to product development, we match startup tech with Naval enterprise and operational problems — aligning the funding, tools, and partnerships to get solutions fielded fast.

Led by CAPT Joel Uzarski, our organization is a part of ONR. You can learn more about our leadership team here.

NavalX was founded in 2019 to help foster a culture of innovation across the Department of the Navy. Our original building blocks included Tech Bridges, Centers for Adaptive Warfighting, workforce agility teams, and innovation training programs for the Navy and Marine Corps. Through our efforts, we have helped approximately 3,000 members of the Naval workforce think about challenges in new ways and set the stage for our next era: NavalX 2.0.

NavalX 2.0 is about moving smarter and faster to make a measurable impact. By bringing essential innovation capabilities — including Tech Bridges, Navy SBIR, and T2 — into a unified organization, we’re able to streamline and simplify processes for both industry and the Fleet and Force. The outcome when we get it right? Sailors and Marines get the tech and systems they need, and commercial problem solvers understand how to get it to them.

Part of NavalX, Navy SBIR/STTR mission-oriented programs integrate the needs and requirements of the DoN’s Fleet and Force through R&D topics that have dual-use potential, but primarily address the needs of the DoN. You can learn more about the DoN SBIR/STTR programs here or on the main  DoN SBIR/STTR website.

The Department of the Navy Tech Transfer (T2) Program, aligned within NavalX, helps private industry access resources — like Naval facilities and research — as they develop dual-use technology that will impact both the Fleet and Force and commercial sectors. T2 helps businesses, academic institutions, or state and local governments partner with Naval technological experts and gain access to unique facilities and equipment. By sharing their resources, federal laboratories and private institutions can accelerate technology development for Naval end users. You can learn more about T2 here.

NavalX Tech Bridges are the doorway to U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps contracts for startups, small businesses, academia, and local experts. Our Tech Bridges have the connections and expertise to help nontraditional technologists navigate the Naval innovation ecosystem. Experts in regions around the world are available to help entrepreneurs and academics find opportunities, clarify processes, and turn ideas into action.

Tech Bridges are located within Warfare Centers and maintain close relationships with Naval Labs. These relationships provide insight into Naval problems as well as access to researchers and scientists with expertise on Naval technology. When it comes time for commercial technology assessments and iterations, the subject matter experts (SMEs) at the Warfare Centers and Labs can help deepen your understanding of potential solutions from both a technical and Enterprise perspective — and help ensure they will work for Sailors and Marines.

While all NavalX Tech Bridges serve the same core mission, each focuses on distinct technology areas based on their alignment with local Naval Warfare Centers and Labs. That means the Tech Bridge nearest you may not be your ultimate partner, but they can help you get connected to the Tech Bridge(s) that focus on your particular technology area.

NavalX is interested in more than 40 technology areas, with Artificial Intelligence, Uncrewed Systems, Mixed Reality, Energy, and Robotics of specific interest. The primary focus area of each Tech Bridge can be found on the individual Tech Bridge pages, with a full listing also available. When you Join Our Network, you can indicate your primary technology area, and we will reach out when a new opportunity arises in that space.

Find your local Tech Bridge and fill out the contact form to get in touch. Someone from the Tech Bridge will reach out to connect with you soon!

NavalX uses a five-step process to speed solutions — from problem through to scale. We start by sourcing real problems directly from the Fleet and Force and working with Naval leaders and end users to prioritize and define these problems by clarifying how technology could help.

Then, together with Tech Bridges, DoN SBIR, and other defense and intelligence organizations, we scan the market for companies and technology that can effectively address the problems.

Finally, we support the product development process with our network, sponsors, and Program Offices to translate and field solutions so that Sailors and Marines worldwide get access to real solutions in 2-5 years.

At NavalX, we make it easier for small businesses to understand how the USN and USMC can use the technology they’ve developed. Through greater transparency, public accessibility, hosted events, and more, we help demystify the DoD contracts process. And, when we identify a technology that Naval end users need, we work with them each step of the way to translate and smooth the development process. That includes facilitating face time with Naval experts, decision-makers, Program Managers, and — most importantly — end users.

Our work helps small businesses quickly determine product-market fit and develop relationships across the DoN that set the way for enduring revenue streams while making positive impacts on the lives of Sailors and Marines.

We work on problems sourced directly from the Fleet and Force, where bringing in new and disruptive technologies can significantly impact the end-user level. We don’t start with Requirements; we start with the real problems that Sailors and Marines encounter every day.

We aren’t here to solve everything in the DoD and DoN acquisition process. We are concentrated on the Valley of Death that slows down the rapid adoption of new capabilities.

Yes, NavalX opportunities are listed on SAM.gov. We also provide additional details about our open opportunities here where you can get clear information about the projects we’re working on and how to get involved.

At NavalX, we don’t own problems or products — we help speed product development on behalf of Naval enterprise “customers.” Our approach to solving the challenges of end users is new, as we look at problems from a system of systems approach to speed up the product development cycle and bring real results to the Fleet and Force.

We don’t work in a vacuum but instead activate our network across our Tech Bridges and other Naval and DoD organizations to bring all the right people to the table as we work toward a common vision and a path forward. At our core is collaboration for the good of Sailors and Marines.

We consider any company without a primary line of business into the federal government — including those that have never worked with the government before — a “nontraditional.” While we work with both traditional and nontraditional companies in pursuit of faster product development, part of our purpose is to diversify the defense industrial base by helping new-to-government companies clear hurdles and get in the door. That often results in a larger focus on startups and small businesses.

We’d love to connect with you so you can get updates about all of our open projects. Visit our Open Opportunities page to see the projects we’re currently working on and if your technology could help.

If you don’t see the right fit, make sure you Join Our Network so you can stay up to date on everything that’s going on at NavalX and get notified when we announce new opportunities.

We help Naval leaders address their most pressing challenges through relevant and available technology. Our team supports two types of Naval challenges: 1) critical technology priorities, focusing on the 18 NIF objectives, and 2) operational challenges facing Sailors and Marines today.

You can learn more about how we work with Naval leaders and contact us for more info.

We collaborate extensively with academic and research institutions that have big ideas and want to move fast. These efforts include prototyping, training and networking programs, special events, and more. Working closely with universities or labs allows us to provide opportunities for local innovators and find the next generation of great solutions.

You can learn more about how NavalX works with academic institutions and small businesses here.

NavalX works with nontraditional businesses that have never worked with the DoD to help demystify the defense contracts process and bring new technology into the hands of Sailors and Marines.

You can Join Our Network to stay up-to-date on what is happening at NavalX and find out when we announce new opportunities that relate to you.

Yes! While our focus is on bringing nontraditional businesses into the conversation, if your company has disruptive technology that can help the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps, we want to hear from you.

Join Our Network to get notified when we announce new opportunities and to stay up to date with NavalX.

Absolutely — in fact, it’s the only way we work. No single organization can own innovation. We work closely across the Department of Defense and with external partners, driving national security forward through collaboration.

We are proud to work with a network of Department of Defense organizations dedicated to working with entrepreneurs, small businesses, and other nontraditional solution providers to address some of the military’s toughest problems. With our network of Department of Defense partners, we’re building a common framework to scale innovation across the Fleet and Force.

Yes! Through our Tech Bridges and our partners, we collaborate extensively with top-tier academic and research institutions. These efforts include prototyping, training and networking programs, special events, and more. Working closely with universities and labs allows us to provide opportunities for local innovators — and find the next generation of great solutions.

At NavalX, our mission is to bring new technologies from small businesses and nontraditionals into the hands of Sailors and Marines. If your technology is a good fit for our open opportunities, our team will support you through the process, even if this is your first time working with the Department of the Navy.

There are a few things you can do now to speed up this process, like getting a unique Entity ID from SAM.gov and a CAGE code.

While we focus outreach on small businesses and startups, companies of all sizes and maturity levels have solutions that can solve Naval challenges. In fact, large companies are essential when it comes time to quickly scale new tech, so we keep our eyes and minds open to anyone with technologies that are relevant to Naval problems.