I recently returned from Washington, D.C., where I had the privilege of attending the 2025 MTEC Defense Medical Innovation Summit. Hosted at Venable LLP, the two-day event was a powerhouse of collaboration, bringing together the sharpest minds from the Defense Health Agency (DHA), DARPA, and private industry to map out the future of military medicine.
The energy in the room was palpable, and for good reason. The agenda was packed with critical insights on how we can revamp R&D to ensure our warfighters remain ready and lethal. Here are a few key takeaways from my time in DC:
- Joint & Service Needs are Evolving: It was fascinating to hear directly from leadership across the services—including the Navy, Air Force, and Army—about their specific operational gaps. The focus is shifting heavily toward expeditionary medicine and capabilities that can sustain the warfighter in austere environments.
- The Power of Partnership: A major theme throughout the summit was the necessity of public-private partnerships. Whether it’s navigating intellectual property rights or leveraging non-dilutive funding, the message was clear: the DoD cannot solve these problems alone. We need industry and academia to step up.
- Emerging Medical Capabilities: The breakout sessions on Day 1 were particularly enlightening. We dove deep into cutting-edge areas like Brain Health and Cognitive Monitoring, Organ-on-a-Chip models for biothreat evaluation, and Biologics on-Demand Manufacturing—technologies that are rapidly moving from sci-fi concepts to field-deployable reality.
- The Investment Landscape: Day 2 offered a candid look at the financial side of defense innovation. A panel of private investors gave us a “peek behind the curtain” on how the venture community views military medical R&D, while other sessions highlighted non-dilutive funding opportunities through SBIR/STTR and Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs
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