10-09-2026
A Purdue-connected nonprofit has been selected to operate a new U.S. Army biotechnology accelerator designed to help emerging companies move technologies from commercial development toward national security applications — creating new opportunities for university researchers, entrepreneurs, students and alumni.
The Defense Innovation Networking Group (D!NG), an Indiana-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, will serve as the prototype accelerator partner for the Army’s Validation of Emerging Defense & Detection Equipment for Readiness, or VEDDER, initiative. The award is $95 million over five years, with $8 million obligated for launch in the first year and a ceiling of up to $500 million.
The award represents a significant milestone for D!NG, but it also has a distinct Purdue connection. Three of the organization’s founding board members — Greg Sapp, Heath Murray and Aaron Ramsey — have ties to the university and bring complementary experience in business, national security, cybersecurity, engineering and manufacturing to the effort.
Sapp recently completed the Master of Business and Technology (MBT) program in Purdue’s Daniels School with a concentration in artificial intelligence. Murray is affiliated with Purdue’s Office of Industry Partnerships, while Ramsey is in the College of Engineering. Together, they see VEDDER as an opportunity to connect the university’s research and talent with companies working to solve challenges important to the Army.
“America does not have an innovation problem. We have a translation problem — getting promising technologies from innovative companies into the hands of the people who need them,” says Murray, chairman of the D!NG board. “VEDDER gives us an opportunity to build a faster, more connected pathway between biotechnology innovators and the national security mission.”
The VEDDER initiative will recruit and support U.S. biotechnology companies with technologies that could address capability gaps identified by the Army’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense mission.
D!NG will help companies navigate the challenges that often stand between developing a promising technology and selling it to the federal government. The accelerator is designed to connect companies with technical expertise, business support, capital networks, government acquisition expertise and industry partners.
“The Army needs to fill some capability gaps and to bring in new technology,” Sapp says. “Our accelerator program will recruit and get new entrants to that industrial base while providing services to help companies become compliant and capable of selling to the federal government.”
The program is intended for a broad range of companies and innovators, Ramsey says. Potential participants could include a solo founder developing AI-enabled drug discovery technology, an established biotechnology company developing sensors that wants to enter the federal market, professors commercializing research, small businesses, or more established companies that have not previously worked with the government.
Sapp says the program will soon begin recruiting companies and alumni. The organization also plans to reach out to Purdue’s research and entrepreneurial communities to identify people and organizations capable of addressing those challenges. Although D!NG is based in Indiana, the accelerator will have a national reach, with companies from across the United States eligible to participate.
The Army award builds on work D!NG was already doing rather than representing a departure from its original mission.
The organization focuses on strengthening the defense innovation ecosystem through collaboration, education, workforce development, knowledge transfer and connections among companies, government organizations, academic institutions and other partners.
“It wasn't built specifically to win this award,” Sapp says, “but it was built to do the exact kinds of things that this award is asking for, so it fits our mission statement perfectly.” During early conversations with the Army, officials even incorporated elements of D!NG’s existing approach into the accelerator concept.
For Sapp, the Purdue connection is particularly meaningful because the university can contribute expertise across disciplines.
Companies participating in VEDDER may need research and development partners, laboratory space, specialized technical expertise and talent. Sapp says Purdue’s breadth of faculty expertise could be a valuable resource for companies looking for solutions to highly specialized problems. Purdue’s alumni network could also provide expertise to participating companies.
Rich Sikora, Special Advisor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Daniels School of Business and Purdue Innovates, says D!NG’s combined focus on STEM and business is another giant leap forward for the university’s innovation ecosystem.
"It is really exciting to see D!NG selected to implement the VEDDER accelerator connecting American biotechnology innovators with the resources, expertise, capital and government pathways that move dual-use technology from promising prototype to fielded capability,” he says. “The team brings a deep commitment to satisfying the most urgent customer needs coupled with highly relevant STEM and business skills required to identify and deploy new technologies."
The relationship could extend beyond faculty research and alumni entrepreneurship to students.
As companies progress through the accelerator and expand, they are expected to need interns and new employees. Sapp identified Purdue capstone projects and internships as two potential ways students could collaborate with participating companies on technology development and other business challenges.
Projects could involve scaling production and improving throughput, as well as research and development. Faculty members and PhD students could contribute to projects, while students across undergraduate and graduate programs could also have opportunities to participate.
The companies also could create demand for students with business expertise. Murray points to potential opportunities for students in finance and other business disciplines, as well as students involved with Purdue’s National Security and Defense Society who may eventually be eligible for roles requiring security clearances.
For Sapp, his Purdue experience has already played a role in preparing him for the work. He says skills gained through the Daniels School’s MBT program were useful in developing the proposal and will help him work with companies participating in the accelerator.
“D!NG was built to bring people, technology and opportunity together, and that is exactly what this accelerator is designed to do,” Sapp says.
He says D!NG’s goal is to surround biotechnology companies with the resources, partners and pathways needed to develop sustainable businesses while moving relevant technologies toward national security applications.
The organization plans to begin outreach to Purdue alumni and companies now that the award has been announced. The first VEDDER cohort’s application window is scheduled for October 12-30, 2026. Information about the accelerator, including application details, is available on D!NG’s website.
The opportunity reflects the broader role Purdue can play at the intersection of research, entrepreneurship, workforce development and national security — while giving university researchers, students and alumni another pathway for turning ideas into technologies with real-world applications.
“We have an opportunity to take everything we’ve learned about connecting innovators, government and industry and apply it at a national scale,” Sapp says. “If we can help these companies grow, bring their technologies into the defense industrial base and create new opportunities for students, researchers and entrepreneurs along the way, that’s the kind of impact we want D!NG to have.”
“Innovation is a decisive advantage, especially when it comes to national security,” adds Chad Pittman, President and CEO of Purdue Research Foundation (PRF). “The university’s land-grant mission calls us to put innovation to work, and PRF plays a critical role in moving Purdue discoveries from promising ideas to real-world solutions. Through this award, D!NG will create even more opportunity for Purdue-connected researchers and entrepreneurs to collaborate with industry and accelerate technologies that can serve our nation.”
