New MOU connects regional aerospace and workforce development programs to a national network of defense innovation hubs, building on DART’s existing Navy and veteran-focused partnerships

SANTA CRUZ, CA — Monterey Bay Drone, Aviation, and Robotics Technology (DART) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with DEFENSEWERX, a national nonprofit that operates innovation hubs connecting small businesses, academia, and government to U.S. military and federal defense customers. The partnership formalizes a shared commitment to advancing economic development, technology transfer, and STEM-driven workforce initiatives in support of the American defense industrial base.

Under the agreement, DART and DEFENSEWERX — spearheaded locally by its FLEETWERX innovation hub partnered with the Naval Postgraduate School — will collaborate on joint programming, information-sharing, and mutual referrals designed to give Central Coast small businesses and workforce program participants direct access to a nationwide innovation ecosystem. DEFENSEWERX operates similar hubs across the country, including SOFWERX in support of U.S. Special Operations Command and ERDCWERX in support of the Army Corps of Engineers, giving regional partners like DART a connective thread into defense innovation efforts nationwide.

“Local partnerships are the engine of dual-use innovation and aerospace economic development here on the Central Coast,” said Morgan Bower, FLEETWERX Hub Director. “By aligning the DEFENSEWERX national network with DART and regional workforce development programs, we are ensuring that local talent and small businesses can directly contribute to the next generation of aerospace technology while strengthening our defense industrial base.”

The MOU builds on a growing portfolio of defense-adjacent partnerships for DART. The organization maintains an existing MOU with the Ventura Tech Bridge, part of the Navy’s Rapid Capabilities Office Tech Bridge network, to support the naval innovation pipeline and connect public university and private-sector innovators with Navy and DoD mission needs. DART also recently announced a national partnership with Vets to Drones to expand career pathways for military veterans transitioning into the uncrewed aircraft systems and advanced air mobility workforce — an effort that complements DART’s Maturing sUAS Pathways project, which brings veteran workforce transition expertise to the region under the leadership of sUAS Project Lead Peter Church, a former U.S. Navy H-60 Seahawk pilot.

“This partnership with DEFENSEWERX is a natural extension of the work we’re already doing with the Navy and with veteran workforce programs across the Central Coast,” said Josh Metz, DART Executive Director. “Our region has deep roots in military innovation — much of what DART does today builds on the legacy of the former Fort Ord, where decades of defense and aerospace activity shaped the workforce and infrastructure we’re now adapting for the low-altitude economy. Partnering with a national network like DEFENSEWERX means our local businesses, students, and veterans have a direct line to opportunities and resources far beyond the Central Coast.”

DART is a nonprofit organization based in Santa Cruz, California — on the site of the former Fort Ord military base — focused on advancing the low-altitude economy, including uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and advanced air mobility (AAM). Through its three core program areas — Workforce Training, Infrastructure Development, and Ecosystem Building — DART works with public, private, and educational stakeholders to build equitable access to quality jobs in emerging aerospace and technology sectors, including through its MsUAS Pathways program, supported by the James Irvine Foundation in partnership with Hartnell College.

For more information about DART’s programs and partnerships, visit mbdart.org. For more information about DEFENSEWERX and its national network of innovation hubs, visit defensewerx.org.