Department of Defense chooses Austin for Defense Innovation Unit Experimental

AUSTIN—U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter joined University of Texas System Chancellor William H. McRaven Wednesday at Capital Factory incubator to announce that Austin will be the third location of the department’s in-house tech startup, the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental, or DIUx.

Austin joins Silicon Valley and Boston as hosts of DIUx outposts, which are designed to develop deeper connections between the technology industry and the military. DIUx outposts serve as a bridge between those in the U.S. military executing on some of our nation’s most challenging security challenges and companies that operate on the cutting edge of technology.

Read Chancellor McRaven’s full remarks here.

Earlier this year, Carter named McRaven to the newly formed Defense Innovation Advisory Board, which will advise the Pentagon on strategies to cultivate a culture of innovation in national defense.

In 2015, McRaven outlined nine “Quantum Leaps” for the UT System, including creating a UT Network for National Security, a system-wide alliance to address the most vexing problems, raise them to national prominence, convene world forums, write, discuss, debate and present solutions. Collaboration with initiatives such as DIUx fit seamlessly into that vision.

About The University of Texas System

Educating students, providing care for patients, conducting groundbreaking basic, applied and clinical research, and serving the needs of Texans and the nation for more than 130 years, The University of Texas System is one of the largest public university systems in the United States. With 14 institutions and an enrollment of more than 221,000, the UT System confers more than one-third of the state’s undergraduate degrees, educates almost two-thirds of the state’s health care professionals annually and accounts for almost 70 percent of all research funds awarded to public institutions in Texas. The UT System has an annual operating budget of $17.9 billion (FY 2017) including $3 billion in sponsored programs funded by federal, state, local and private sources. With more than 20,000 faculty – including Nobel laureates – and nearly 80,000 health care professionals, researchers, student advisors and support staff, the UT System is one of the largest employers in the state.