The Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) Jeh Johnson announced in 2015 that DHS would establish a presence in California's Silicon Valley to grow relationships with technology innovators, mainly non-traditional performers, from small start-ups to large companies, investors, incubators, and accelerators.

To meet the objective, the DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) created the Homeland Security Innovation Programs (HSIP) which builds on the work S&T has been doing over the last decade to spawn innovation to solve DHS’s most difficult challenges.

Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP)

The Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP), launched in 2015, is S&T’s first HSIP regional program. It help companies better understand DHS, S&T, DHS components, the homeland security mission, and how these innovation corridors can help the government solve problems across the Homeland Security Enterprise.

S&T will leverage commercial investments to focus on several sectors, including information technology, finance, energy, health, and first responders.

The SVIP is expanding DHS’s reach to find new technologies that strengthen national security with the goal of reshaping how government, entrepreneurs and industry work together to find cutting-edge solutions.

DHS is reaching out to Silicon Valley and all of the innovation communities across the nation to harness the commercial R&D ecosystem for government applications, co-invest in ideas and accelerate transition-to-market.

Program Summary
• Open to all innovation ecosystems
• Up to $800K over 24 months

Benefits
• Government serves as an early adopted
• No dilution of ownership
• Pilots and operator feedback
• Buys down investor risk
• Helps make the nation safer