Incubator Programs for Secure Facilities and Networks at Universities

The Department of War (DoW) is conducting an assessment on the feasibility of establishing incubator programs for secure facilities and networks at select institutions of higher education. The program aims to support classified research and development, prototyping, secure collaboration, and research transition activities. Institutions are encouraged to respond with detailed information on their current security posture, institutional commitment to national security, industry and government partnerships, technical capabilities, and administrative capacity. The Department intends to use the responses to inform its assessment to Congress on the potential benefits of establishing such incubator programs. • The program will focus on supporting classified research and development, prototyping, and secure collaboration. • Institutions must demonstrate a strong commitment to national security and have the necessary technical capabilities and administrative capacity to support the program. • The Department is seeking realistic assessments from institutions, including those without prior experience with secure facilities. • The program will require significant co-investment from institutions and will prioritize those with a strong financial commitment and long-term sustainment planning.