The Defense Logistics Agency will award contracts to 10 small businesses that will broaden government offerings and opportunities to address national interest challenges during the fifth annual DLA Industry Collider Day Sept. 10 at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center in Alexandria, Virginia.

During the event, which will bring together stakeholders from government, industry and academia, DLA Vice Director Brad Bunn will announce the Small Business Innovation Research awards to investigate potential uses for rare-earth metals, test autonomous warehouse technologies, research the use of artificial intelligence to predict obsolescence, and secure virtual representations of objects or systems designed to reflect physical objects accurately. These awards will bolster research and development efforts that will enable DLA’s transformation as the agency prepares for the challenges of operating in a contested environment.

In addition to the awards, DLA Industry Collider Day attendees will have the opportunity to hear from Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly, DLA director; Adarryl Roberts, DLA chief information officer; David Koch, DLA Research and Development director; and Daniele Kurze, DLA Small Business Programs director on the agency’s innovation efforts and way forward.

For more information, or to register for DLA Industry Collider Day, go to https://registration.socio.events/e/icd2024.