Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) Dual-Use University Accelerator Challenge

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) in the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has announced the Dual-Use University Accelerator Challenge, a 12-week program which aims to support cutting-edge innovations that address critical DoD needs. Through this Challenge, DIU aims to identify, support, and accelerate early-stage, dual-use technologies emerging from U.S. universities. The DIU University Defense Accelerator Prize seeks to address challenges in technology translation (between TRL 2-4) that students, faculty, and university-founded startups face. Applicants must address the following technological focus areas:

Energy
Autonomy
AI
Cyber/Telecommunications
Emerging Technologies
Human Systems
Space

Target Audience: companies and startups that are founded by students, faculty, staff, recent graduates (within the past 18 months), or any combination thereof, and early TRL 2-4 (pre-seed/seed stage) with limited or no prior DOD contracts.

Eligibility: U.S. owned and operated companies and startups that are founded by students, faculty, staff, recent graduates (within the past 18 months), or any combination thereof, and early TRL 2-4 (pre-seed/seed stage) with limited or no prior DOD contracts.

Award: Finalists will receive a share of the $500,000 in prize awards, along with mentorship, DOD engagement, and funding support to assist in scaling technologies for DOD applications in the future.

Key Dates: The deadline to submit an application is 8:59 pm PT on June 25, 2025.