The U.S. Partnership for Assured Electronics (USPAE) today announced that the Defense Business Accelerator (DBX) Microelectronics Challenge received twice the number of entries expected. Nearly two-thirds of the entrants are startups, and one-third are small- to medium-sized businesses. All are vying for a chance at awards between $500,000 and $2 million to advance commercially viable microelectronics solutions.
“We are very excited by the quantity and quality of the DBX entries for innovative electronic technologies and materials,” said Nathan Edwards, USPAE executive director. “This program helps advance solutions that will have commercial and defense applications while further strengthening the U.S. electronics industry.”
In a few weeks, finalists will be notified and invited to pitch their solutions at the Defense TechConnect Innovation Summit & Expo in late November.
“Defense TechConnect draws leaders from private industry, investment and government to accelerate state-of-the-art technology solutions,” said Matt Laudon, vice president of the TechConnect Division at ATI. “The DBX project is a great example of how new approaches can leverage innovation hubs to achieve great success.”
The innovative DBX program brings together the electronics industry expertise of USPAE with the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) Manufacturing, Capability Expansion, and Investment Prioritization Directorate (MCEIP) to award funding through a process meant to accelerate the development of commercial solutions that the DoD can then leverage.