The Naval Postgraduate School Foundation recognized Dell Technologies and RTX as Foundational Partners of the Naval Innovation Center at NPS during a reception held in conjunction with the Sea-Air-Space maritime expo.
The Foundational Partner Award honors early leaders whose support has helped advance the vision, development and momentum of the Naval Innovation Center at NPS. The center, designed as a new model for innovation and capability development, will bring together, military students, researchers and industry partners to accelerate the development, experimentation, iteration and adoption of technologies aligned to operational needs.
At the Naval Postgraduate School, this work is driven by more than 2,500 operationally experienced students from across the joint services and allied partner nations, working alongside expert faculty to address the challenges facing our Naval and Joint Forces. The Naval Innovation Center at NPS builds on the institution’s mission, ensuring operational experience directly informs how technologies are developed, tested and applied.
Dell Technologies and RTX were recognized for their early and sustained contributions, including advocacy, technical expertise, enabling technologies and a commitment to actively partner within the Naval Innovation Center at NPS as it becomes operational.
“The Naval Innovation Center at NPS reflects a fundamental shift in how the military and its partners develop and deliver capability,” said Rich Patterson, CEO of the Naval Postgraduate School Foundation. “Dell Technologies and RTX understood that need early and leaned in as partners.”
The Foundational Partner Award reflects the original vision of the Naval Innovation Center at NPS. Inspired by the sail forms of the center’s initial design, it symbolizes momentum, adaptability and the convergence of forces required to drive innovation. As the facility design has evolved, the award remains a constant, recognizing the partners who were aligned early and helped carry the vision forward.
“Our experience across government and academic environments shows that meaningful progress comes from practitioner‑driven experimentation,” said Suri Durvasula, Senior Vice President for Federal Business, Dell Technologies. “The Naval Innovation Center at NPS exemplifies that approach, and Dell supports customer‑led efforts by providing platforms designed for adaptation, scale and long‑term use.”
The Naval Innovation Center at NPS will accelerate how emerging technologies are developed, tested and delivered by bringing together mission-driven requirements from the Department of the Navy and combatant commands, with applied research and industry collaboration in a single environment. Unlike traditional research models, it enables operators, students, faculty and industry partners to work together from the outset—building, testing and refining solutions concurrently.With both unclassified and classified spaces, the NIC allows technologies to be developed, evaluated and advanced across all levels of classification within the same workflow, reducing the gap between concept, validation and use.\
“RTX is honored to be recognized as a Foundational Partner of the Naval Innovation Center at NPS,” said Barbara Borgonovi, President of Naval Power at Raytheon. “As a longtime partner of the Navy, we see the Naval Innovation Center at NPS as an important environment for bringing together operational experience, research and industry to shape how capabilities are developed and delivered. We are committed to working alongside NPS to help advance solutions that matter to the Fleet.”
Located at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, the Naval Innovation Center at NPS will provide purpose-built facilities for modeling, simulation, prototyping and secure research, creating a persistent environment for iteration, experimentation and collaboration.
The Naval Innovation Center at NPS is a Military Construction project authorized by Congress and moving forward through the Department of the Navy. The Naval Postgraduate School Foundation is a committed partner in its development, supporting the initial outfitting and long-term sustainment of the building through private donations and industry partnerships.
