The California Central Coast Connections Tech Bridge, closely aligned with the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), is uniquely situated to become a leading DoN/DoD innovation hub because of its direct access to operational requirements, students and faculty who understand warfighter needs, and proximity to Silicon Valley. As such, the California Central Coast Connections Tech Bridge will become a nexus for collaboration with industry, DoD and OGA innovation centers, leading academic institutions, and National Labs to enhance innovation and accelerate the development of operationally relevant capabilities. California Central Coast Connections participants will have direct access to Camp Roberts, the ocean, and cyber ranges for field experimentation.

Central Coast will also directly support NPS’s new Applied Design for Innovation curriculum by providing opportunities for students representing all of the services to work on relevant projects, while augmenting student internships and faculty fellowships with industry to deepen their technical acumen and understanding of industry best practices.

To foster greater openness and collaboration, California Central Coast Connections is working with Navy Facilities to secure an off-campus facility that will become a hub for multidisciplinary teams to address pressing DoD and national security challenges. We are also finalizing a PIA agreement to establish “NPS Werx,” which will provide greater speed and agility to work with industry.