Silicon Valley Innovation programme (SVIP)

The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate Silicon Valley Innovation programme (SVIP) is keeping pace with the innovation community to tackle the hardest problems faced by DHS and the Homeland Security Enterprise. SVIP expands DHS S&T’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. The programme reaches out to innovation communities across the nation and around the world to harness the commercial R&D ecosystem for technologies with government applications and to co-invest in and accelerate technology transition-to-market. Companies receive up to USD 800,000 over 24 months in up to four phases of funding (USD 50,000 -200,000) each lasting between three and six months. Phase 1 Proof-of-Concept Demo; Phase 2 Demo Pilot-ready Prototype; Phase 3 Pilot-test Prototype in Operation; Phase 4 Test in Various Operational Scenarios
Objectives are 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; to reach out to innovation communities across the nation and around the world to harness the commercial R&D ecosystem for technologies with government applications and to co-invest in and accelerate technology transition-to-market.
Beneficiaries are U.S. and internationally based companies. This measure does not directly target clusters but has the potential to facilitate their set-up and development.