U.S. Army · 2025
Army Demand Signal Forum
September 15, 2025 · George Mason University Arlington Annex, Arlington, Va.
On September 15, 2025, Army leaders convened industry innovators, technologists, and partners at the Army Demand Signal Forum, the culminating event of the Army Demand Signal Series. Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll used the forum to announce FUZE, a cradle-to-grave acquisition enterprise that synchronizes xTech, SBIR/STTR, ManTech, and Technology Maturation Initiative programs to move ideas from concept to combat-ready capability faster.
The forum connected operational demand signals with emerging technology from the private sector, fields including artificial intelligence, robotics, advanced manufacturing, and next-generation energy, with the goal of reducing barriers, accelerating timelines, and strengthening collaboration between the Army and external innovators.
The Adler Archer Laboratory at Johns Hopkins CBID served as one of the academic partners at the forum, representing university-led research and translation alongside industry and government stakeholders working to connect innovation with warfighter needs.
Forum focus
Announcing Army FUZE to accelerate innovation from prototype to production.
Aligning operational demand with commercial breakthroughs in AI, robotics, and advanced manufacturing.
Public-private partnerships to sustain readiness against near-peer threats.
Direct engagement between Army decision-makers and the nation's technology sector.
Johns Hopkins · CBID
Academic partner
As an academic partner, the Archer Lab joined the forum to bridge Johns Hopkins research, CBID's design methodology, and the Army's push for continuous transformation, connecting faculty, trainees, and community collaborators with federal innovation priorities in the Baltimore–Washington corridor.
Learn more about the lab's veterans, civic, and health innovation work through Adler Archer, SPEAR Veterans Accelerator, and our 2025 Nexus Harbor Summit.
