DIA Joins Innovation Train, Reaches Out to Private Sector

A new DIA effort to attract a wider range of contractors and be nimbler is showing promise despite the hurdles it has to jump.

The “iHub” mechanism was instituted in September by Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart, the DIA Director, and is aimed at connecting providers directly with DIA officers with intelligence-related challenges or needs.  The focus is on finding innovative solutions mostly from smaller companies, especially those cutting-edge firms or start-ups that might not be familiar with the Intelligence Community.  The goal is to implement solutions more quickly and cheaply using pilot projects and DIA seed funding. “Buy cheap, fail cheap,” in the words of agency spokesman James Kudla.