AFIMSC Innovation Office

Our mission: We help the United States Air and Space Forces find innovative solutions to tough, urgent, real world, installation and mission support (I&MS) challenges. We are the primary I&MS innovation hub for the Air and Space Forces. Our team helps decision makers at headquarters and the bases build partnerships with industry and Airmen/Guardian innovators, navigate the innovation ecosystem, and provide funding and program support. We execute proofs of concepts of ideas that can deliver faster, leaner, and more resilient capabilities.

We execute, and participate in, several major events throughout the year. These events help innovators from industry and Airmen/Guardians develop their ideas and connect with the decision makers. These connections help develop new ways to support the Air and Space Forces in the era of Great Power competition. Our events include: Innovation Industry Days

AFIMSC/AFWERX Innovation Industry Days
Installation and Mission Support Weapons and Tactics Conference (I-WEPTAC)
Innovation Rodeo

Airman speaking at grand opening

Our Airmen and Guardians use their incredible skills every day to execute missions worldwide that keep America and her allies safe. The mission of developing capabilities to meet tomorrow’s high end challenges is no different.

Some of our greatest innovations come from the people who already work for us. But just like innovation itself, the process of developing Airmen and Guardian innovators never stops! That is why we are dedicated to providing the best possible opportunities for these innovators to develop their ideas and compete for chances to have them implemented across the Air and Space Forces.

"We Want You" graphic We’re looking for active duty, reserve, and civilian Airmen and Guardians with ideas for how to make our installation and mission support services work better.

Are YOU looking for a way to help make your Air and Space Forces work better?

Do YOU have a good idea you want to see put into use across Air and Space Force installations?

If so, here are some ways we can help take YOUR IDEAS from concept to reality!

AFIMSC “Call for Innovation” campaigns give active duty, reserve and civilian Airmen and Guardians the chance to pitch ideas on how to improve the delivery of installation and mission support services. Finalists spend a week learning from leading innovators, honing their pitches, and then presenting their ideas to a board of senior leaders during the annual AFIMSC Innovation Rodeo. Those leaders will select the best of the best ideas to funded, developed, and fielded!

Why submit an idea to the AFIMSC Innovation Rodeo?
Submitting your innovation to the Rodeo is a great way to make a contribution to the Air and Space Forces and enhance your professional experience. Each innovator will get individualized feedback on their innovation. Those innovators whose proposals are selected as semi-finalists (proposals ranked 9-40) will get assistance with finding pathways to have their innovations developed. Those innovators whose proposals are selected as finalists will go the Rodeo and get program management support for their innovations from the Ventures and/or AFIMSC primary subordinate unit spark cell teams. In addition, each finalist will get to compete at the Rodeo to have their innovations funded!

Road to the Rodeo
AFIMSC Ventures and PSU spark cell teams evaluate proposals to determine which ones will become finalists and go to the Rodeo and which ones will become semi-finalists and get assistance identifying execution pathways. The top eight rated rates proposals will become finalists. The proposals rated nine through 40 will become semi-finalists. The Ventures and spark cell teams consider several factors when making these evaluations. In particular, the teams look at the proposals to determine their alignment with AFIMSC strategic priorities, the potential return on investment to the installation and mission support enterprise, how far along the innovation is in the evaluation and testing process, and the potential impact of Ventures/PSU spark cells support to the innovation.

The rodeo isn’t the only way for Airmen and Guardians to get involved with AFIMSC innovation efforts! Each AFIMSC subordinate units has an innovation office, which, along with AFIMSC Ventures, provides numerous opportunities for innovative ideas to get developed, tested, and fielded.

For example, AFIMSC Ventures worked with the Air Force Civil Engineer Center’s Environmental Directorate, the Air Force Innovation Hub Network (AFWERX), and a contractor to use drones to light detection and ranging, multi-spectrum sensors and machine-learning algorithms to map, survey, and inventory habitat for the golden-cheeked warbler at Camp Bullis, Texas. The idea is to take these results and scale out this commercially available technology to other ecological sites that previously required a lot of time and money to manually survey.

Industry Day

Working with industry is critical to the delivery of the capabilities our warfighters depend on to deter conflict and to prevail against threats to U.S. security.

Small business opportunities: We want to harness the power of industry and unleash the innovative potential of small businesses.

AFIMSC participates in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs administered by the Small Business Administration.

We help connect participating small businesses with potential partners in AFIMSC, and its primary subordinate units.
Innovation Network: The AFIMSC Ventures team promotes industry engagement in partnership with a network of organizations, such as AFWERX, Air Education and Training Command, Air Force Gaming, and the City of San Antonio. We are always looking for opportunities to engage with industry partners – whether it’s at one of our existing regularly recurring events, finding new engagement platforms or speaking opportunities for AFIMSC leaders and team members.