Frontier Mission Innovations

The Frontier Mission Network is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that serves as a bridge between the region's research laboratories and the American national security community. It facilitates the commercialization of research by helping to license inventions, prove concepts, and transition technologies into the hands of the U.S. military and intelligence community. The network operates by connecting researchers with defense acquisition authorities, informing stakeholders of Department of Defense strategic needs, and identifying grant opportunities. It also works to educate investors on value creation within the defense technology sector, aiming to catalyze the growth of alternative defense suppliers and support American national interests.

By fostering this lab-to-market community, the organization assists startups, small businesses, and academic partners in navigating the defense procurement process and testing solutions with defense users. This is critical for addressable operational and strategic threats, as it helps align technology development with market demand from the Department of Defense. The network provides programmatic support, hosts showcase events for inventors to present their research to stakeholders, and facilitates long-term connections between innovators and the defense acquisition ecosystem to ensure emerging technologies effectively reach military end users.