News & Events
Updates from Across the R&E Enterprise
Notice on Indirect Cost Rates for Assistance Awards to Institutions of Higher Education
June 18, 2025
Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Emil Michael signed the attached memorandum on June 12, 2025, to deviate from negotiated indirect cost rates for assistance awards to institutions of higher education and to implement a 15% indirect cost rate cap for awards to such institutions.
OUSD R&E’s APFIT Program Boosts Small Business Innovation with Record Funding Level
June 17, 2025
ARLINGTON, VA – The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering’s Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT) program broke its funding record for small businesses in fiscal year 2025 with a four-fold increase in investments into projects that will accelerate technologies to warfighters.
OASD(MC) Sparks Game-Changing Tech Talks with Industry
June 11, 2025
On June 6, 2025, the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab (APL) buzzed with energy as over 270 defense industry trailblazers—think big names and scrappy tech startups—joined forces with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Mission Capabilities (OASD(MC)).
DoD Selects Winners of 2024-2025 Hypersonic Horizons Student Challenge for Innovative Spacecraft Concepts
June 05, 2025
Arlington, VA – The Department of Defense announced 14 high school and undergraduate student teams as winners of the second annual “Hypersonic Horizons High Speed Video Challenge” today. Designed to inspire the next generation of hypersonic technology experts, the 2024-2025 challenge tasked students with developing innovative solutions for space exploration and high-speed flight within thin atmospheres. The winning teams, representing schools across the country, will receive a total of $32,000.
Joint Reserve Directorate Team Leans on Experiences to Accelerate Innovation to Support Secretary Hegseth’s Priorities
May 20, 2025
The Joint Reserve Directorate hosted its 2025 Executive Session Meeting at the Pentagon in April to align capabilities and resources to best support the new Secretary of Defense priorities for the department as well as the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD R&E).
Advanced Metallics Production and Processing Center
April 10, 2025
Michigan Representative Haley Stevens issued the proclamation April 7 as LIFT celebrated the opening of its new Advanced Metallics Production, and Processing Center in Detroit.
DoD ManTech Invests in American Manufacturing Research and Development
March 31, 2025
DoD ManTech invests in American manufacturing research and development to equip our warfighters with the most cutting-edge capabilities available.
AI-Enabled Capabilities Requiring T&E
February 28, 2025
OUSD(R&E) Systems Engineering & Architecture (SE&A) is continuing to ensure the Department has a technically competent workforce that can transform technology into usable capabilities for the warfighter.
Collaborating with the Defense Acquisition University, SE&A has released another training course in support of its new defense acquisition credentials for professionals:
TST 0520 “AI-Enabled Capabilities Requiring T&E”
Through a set of courses and a capstone project or assessment, credentials offer in-depth specialty training in topic areas important to the Department (e.g., systems engineering, digital engineering, software engineering, and artificial intelligence). The supporting courses are made available to the workforce as they are developed. Once all courses for a credential are deployed, the credential itself will go live.
Check back as more courses and credentials are on the way as DoD continues to invest in modernized training and education for the workforce.
Click here to view courses and register.
SD-24 DoD Value Engineering (VE) Guidebook
February 28, 2025
OUSD (R&E) recently issued SD-24 Value Engineering: A Guidebook of Best Practices and Tools, an update of a 2011 version. VE is a sound and effective business practice that can yield significant returns on investment not only for cost, but also for capability performance and schedule.
DoD Components use VE to analyze programs, systems, services, products, and more to ensure they accomplish essential functions at the lowest life-cycle cost consistent with the required performance, quality and safety. Components retain their VE savings for allocation to other internal priorities to achieve a better value for the money.
The recent update to DoD Instruction 4245.14, “DoD Value Engineering Program,” is intended to reinvigorate VE and, along with this guidance, facilitate an understanding of responsibilities for VE programs and how to enhance DoD processes and products. VE is integral to supporting DoD’s national security mission.
This guidebook equips Components with information needed to establish and maintain viable VE programs. It describes the basics of the VE methodology, the benefits of a strong DoD VE Program, and best practices for applying VE on government contracts.
Call for Nominations for the 2025 George F. Linsteadt Award
February 28, 2025
Call for Nominations for the 2025 Department of Defense George F. Linsteadt Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer Now Open through 5:00pm EDT on Monday, June 23, 2025! The award will be announced at the annual DoD Technology Transfer and Transition Workshop (T3W) in November 2025.
For more information: https://rt.cto.mil/rtl-labs/tech-transfer
For questions and to apply, please email: osd.pentagon.ousd-r-e.mbx.dod-dlo-t2@mail.mil
20th Annual Engineers Week 2025
February 14, 2025
Whether building a ship or a fighter jet, designing software for a weapon system, or developing the latest medical advancements, DoD engineers make a difference not only for the U.S. warfighter but also in the lives of nearly everyone.
In DoD, engineers have a special mission, charged with developing highly complex systems that are both effective and safe, to meet ever-changing demands for defense technology in a competitive global environment. Engineers work daily to envision, create, test, and improve these systems to support U.S. warfighters in the field. In fact, some of the most widely used commercial products today were originally developed for the purpose of defending our country, including duct tape, microwave ovens, and virtual reality headsets.
After DOD Award, Datlof Looks to Future of Military Medical Technology Transfer
January 30, 2025
FORT DETRICK, Md. – For 25 years, the Office of Medical Technology Transfer has worked with inventors, businesses and investors to commercialize and deliver dozens of innovative life-saving devices and medicines for the Warfighter and the public. The heart of MTT’s success is an award-winning process for systematically maturing and de-risking first-generation biomedical technologies called Assistive Technology Transfer, or AT2. For his contributions to developing and implementing AT2, Barry Datlof, MTT’s chief of business development and commercialization, recently received the 2024 Department of Defense George F. Linsteadt Technology Transfer Achievement Award from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.
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