Defense Innovation OnRamp Hubs

Closed Pre-Solicitation Posted Jul 9, 2026

Solicitation number: DIU782026
Agency: Washington Headquarters Service Department of Defense
Responses due: Jul 31, 2026, 5:00 PM ET
Set-aside: No set-aside

Opportunity facts

NAICS code: 541715 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)
PSC: AC33 National Defense R&D Services; Defense-Related Activities; Experimental Development
Place of performance: United States
Points of contact: OnRamp Team onramp@theari.us

Notice details come from SAM.gov. Updated Jul 24, 2026.

About this opportunity

Written by GovTribe AI · Jul 24, 2026

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), under the Department of Defense Washington Headquarters Service, is issuing a sources sought to identify qualified organizations to establish and operate Defense Innovation OnRamp Hubs as subawardees under a cooperative agreement, with responses due by July 31, 2026. This procurement targets new hub locations beyond the eight currently operating hubs in Arizona, Hawaii, Kansas, Ohio, Kentucky, Montana, Minnesota, and Washington.

Respondent organizations must be U.S.-based and U.S.-owned, headquartered in the state of the proposed hub location with primary business address in that state, though alternative concepts demonstrating dedicated and substantial local presence are permissible. Identified capabilities must be within a 100-mile radius of the proposed location's metro area. Any entity type eligible under 2 CFR 200 will be considered, including teaming and partnership structures such as nonprofit-university combinations.

OnRamp Hubs will deliver six standardized services: Technology Ecosystem Intelligence; Defense Market Education; Mission-Focused Technology Scouting; Defense Readiness Assessment; Mission and Resource Alignment; and Technology Validation (including Independent Verification and Validation in operationally relevant environments). Subawardees must provide dedicated physical presence and operational infrastructure, execute targeted outreach to non-traditional and dual-use defense companies, deliver company support and mentoring services, and establish relationships with Department of War mission partners.

Minimum staffing includes four full-time equivalents: OnRamp Hub Managing Director, Program Manager, and Ecosystem Engagement Lead, with optional positions for Marketing Professional and Data Manager. All required staff must be hired by the Full Operational Capability date and remain fully dedicated to the hub. Recipients must provide a minimum 10 percent non-federal cost share (cash or allowable in-kind contributions) and demonstrate path to full self-sustainment within five years.

Responses must use the provided Excel questionnaire template, limited to 10 sentences per cell, submitted to onramp@theari.us. A virtual Q&A session was held July 20, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. EST.

Notice text

2 versions

Update #2 · Latest · Jul 24, 2026

Sources Sought

Defense Innovation OnRamp Hubs

Overview

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) issuing a sources sought to identify potential Defense Innovation OnRamp Hub locations and qualified organizations to establish and operate OnRamp Hubs as a sub-awardee under a cooperative agreement awarded under 2 CFR 200.

Background

DIU is focused on strengthening the defense innovation base by lowering the barriers to entry for talent and non-traditional companies to work with the Department of War (DoW). As part of this effort, DIU maintains a geographic presence to tap into commercial technology ecosystems and innovation bases across the country.

The Defense Innovation OnRamp Hubs are a key part of this strategy, providing a physical presence and infrastructure to support OnRamp Hub activities. OnRamp Hubs operate in the following states: Arizona, Hawaii, Kansas, Ohio, Kentucky, Montana, Minnesota, and Washington.

DIU is seeking the creation of additional OnRamp Hubs that:

Delivers the products and services identified in the Statement of Work;
Provides a dedicated physical presence and operational infrastructure to support DIU OnRamp Hub activities;
Targeted outreach and engagement that accelerates the discovery and acquisition of commercial technologies that align with DIU and DoW priorities;
Execute company support activities, including customer identification, mentoring, and aligning commercial capabilities to DoW mission needs;
Establish and maintain relationships with DoW mission partners to understand demand signals and capability gaps, and translate those requirements into actionable opportunities by aligning commercial solutions that deliver tangible, lethal capabilities to the warfighter at speed and scale;
Develop and Execute Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) activities in operationally relevant environments, that support the transition of commercial capabilities to warfighters;
Execute a sustainable operating model that supports strong partnership and business development, works with non-traditional and dual-use companies, and the ability to meet cost share requirements through non-federal funding sources.

Subawardee’s are responsible for leading and executing initiatives that improve the ways in which non-traditional companies and talent engage with the DoW and strengthen the regional defense innovation ecosystem in the state. The OnRamp Hubs execute projects and initiatives that reduce barriers to DoW participation and enhance the defense innovation base. OnRamp Hubs are also required to coordinate with other OnRamp Hubs across the nation, as well as with broader DIU and U.S. Government partners and perform in accordance with the Statement of Work.

Submission Requirements

Submissions must include responses to items in Attachment 0001, DIU OnRamp Hub Questionnaire. Each response shall be limited to a maximum of 10 sentences.

All respondents must be U.S. based and U.S. owned companies and must be headquartered in the State of the proposed location.

Deadline

Questionnaire must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. (EST) on July 31, 2026 via email to onramp@theari.us.

In advance of the deadline, DIU in conjunction with ARI will be holding a virtual Q&A session for all interested parties on Monday, July 20 at 12:00 p.m (EST). Registration for the Q&A session is available here: https: //www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_tPbpIU-mR3yof83NpU5-TA#/registration

Disclaimer

This Request is issued for the purpose of identifying a qualified organization to execute the described effort. Issuance of this request does not guarantee an award. ARI on behalf of DIU reserves the right to select, not select, or negotiate with any respondent at its sole discretion. Respondents should be prepared to provide financial and administrative documentation, as requested, to support ARI’s subrecipient risk assessment and compliance review.

Update #1 · Jul 9, 2026