NPS Acquisition Research Symposium and Innovation Summit 2026

This year’s prestigious event has the overreaching theme of “Accelerating Warfighting Capabilities” and is sponsored by the Acquisition Research Program (ARP), NPS and the Naval Postgraduate School Foundation (NPSF).

The Research Symposium & Innovation Summit serves as a catalyst for meaningful progress and informed change in the field of defense acquisition. The event brings together academic researchers, acquisition professionals, and defense service leaders for two days of exploration, discovery, and dialogue intended to inform acquisition policy and modernization efforts.

In keeping with recent executive orders and DOD memoranda, the goal of this dual event is to explore and promote innovative ways to enhance readiness, deter adversaries, and increase warfighting capabilities by reviving our defense industrial base, reforming our acquisition process, and rapidly fielding emerging technologies.

Call for Papers & Panels is due on November 18, 2025.