What Nstic does

NSTIC (Naval Surface Technology & Innovation Consortium) is a federally chartered R&D consortium that operates as a rapid-prototyping acquisition vehicle for the U.S. Navy's surface warfare community. Established in 2019 under an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) between its sponsor, the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWC-DD), and its administrator, Advanced Technology International (ATI), a nonprofit based in Summerville, SC, NSTIC facilitates the development, testing, and integration of naval surface technologies across 23 declared technology areas including cyber, AI/ML, directed energy, autonomous systems, hypersonics, and sensor systems. The consortium's core mechanism is an OTA-based Request for Prototype Proposal (RPP) process that compresses the typical government prototype acquisition timeline to roughly 90 days from solicitation to contract award, materially faster than traditional FAR-based procurement.

NSTIC's member ecosystem includes traditional defense primes (Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, General Atomics, Anduril) alongside non-traditional suppliers, academic institutions, and nonprofits, with membership capped at U.S.-domiciled organizations and reported at 1,000+ members of which 82% are non-traditional. Notable awards brokered through the consortium include Lockheed Martin's Modular Cuda Missile ($61.6M), BAE's Hypervelocity Projectile ($69.4M), Anduril's Altius Loitering Munition Launcher ($81.8M), and General Atomics' Long Range Maneuvering Projectile ($56M), with cumulative contract value awarded reaching $2 billion across 100+ projects.

NSTIC's revenue model is a percentage assessment levied on awarded prototype funding rather than membership dues, which are free. The assessment was reduced from 1% to 0.05% effective October 1, 2025, signaling a pricing shift intended to lower the cost of participation and accelerate award volume. Engagement with prospective and current members is driven through industry days, Reverse Industry Days, Collaboration Events, and a solicitations platform, with leadership consisting of Executive Director Rear Admiral Tom Kearney, USN (Ret.) and NSWCDD Technical Director Dale Sisson Jr., P.E. SES. The consortium's strategic role is effectively that of an exclusive intermediary channel between the Navy's surface warfare demand signal and a curated supplier base, with both value creation and risk concentrated in the durability of its single sponsor relationship.

Name

Nstic

Legal name

Naval Surface Technology & Innovation Consortium

Website

https://nstic.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NSTIC is a federally chartered consortium that brokers rapid-prototyping contracts between the U.S. Navy's surface warfare community and 1,000+ member organizations across 23 technology areas via an Other Transaction Agreement model administered by Advanced Technology International.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defense R&D Consortium Services

NAICS

National Security (928110), Professional Organizations (81392), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Defense Software, Mission Applications & Open Architecture (MOSA) Systems (IMABAOAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

C4ISR Systems & Tactical Data Links (IMABAGAE)

Keywords

• Defense R&D consortium
• Naval surface warfare
• Other transaction agreement
• Federally funded research
• Defense technology prototyping

Headquarters

HQ city

Summerville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Consortium Membership: NSTIC membership is free with no annual fee. The consortium is funded through a 0.05% assessment on all awarded project funding (effective October 1, 2025), down from 1% of authorized funded agreement value. This assessment covers administrative and member support activities, industry days, membership meetings, business development, customer outreach, training, and website management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NSTIC is a US-based defense consortium that operates an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) framework sponsored by the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division and managed by Advanced Technology International (ATI). It facilitates federally funded research, development, testing, and integration of naval surface warfare systems across 23 technology areas, providing members with access to prototype solicitations, government requirements, and a 90-day RPP-to-award turn pathway. Free membership is offered to US-based companies, academic institutions, and nonprofits, with consortium operations funded via a small assessment on awarded project funding.

Product overview

NSTIC (Naval Surface Technology & Innovation Consortium) is a consortium management platform operated by Advanced Technology International (ATI) that provides an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) mechanism for the Naval Warfare Center Dahlgren Division. The core offering is the NSTIC OTA, which enables rapid prototype technology development across 23+ technology areas including cyber, AI/ML, autonomous systems, directed energy, sensors, and manufacturing. The consortium offers solicitations for prototype projects, collaboration events, and membership access to federal R&D funding for naval surface warfare capabilities. The ecosystem includes industry days, reverse industry days, and a members-only portal for solicitation access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NSTIC Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) A consortium-based Other Transaction Agreement that enables rapid acquisition and development of prototype technologies for naval surface and maritime capabilities, allowing the Navy to fund member efforts to develop and prototype innovative technologies.
• NSTIC Technology Areas Federally funded research, development, testing, and integration services across 23 naval surface warfare technology domains including multi-function materials, cyber, AI/ML, directed energy, advanced computing/software, autonomous and unmanned systems, sensors, gun and projectile systems, digital engineering, quantum technologies, and integrated warfare systems.
• NSTIC Membership Program Free consortium membership program enabling US-based companies, academic institutions, and nonprofits to access federal R&D and business opportunities focused on naval warfare systems development.
• NSTIC Solicitations Platform Members-only platform hosting federal R&D and prototype business opportunities through OTA solicitations (RPPs/RFIs), enabling NSTIC members to propose prototype technologies and research capabilities aligned with NSWCDD requirements such as NSTIC 26-F, 26-G, and RFI-26-01.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90-day turn from RPP to contract award enabled rapid fielding of hypersonic test assets
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Raven DefenseminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 December 2022Raven Defense, a non-traditional defense contractor based in Albuquerque, NM, was awarded the Maritime Networked Test Asset (MaNTA) OTA prototype demonstration effort. The partnership enabled rapid development and fielding of high-performance test assets for hypersonic weapons testing within 18 months. Raven Defense specializes in specialized technical equipment for satellite communications, deployable sensors, and R&D test and evaluation systems.
• Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWC-DD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 June 2019NSWC-DD is the government sponsor of NSTIC and issued the OTA to the consortium. The Navy warfare center focuses on developing naval surface and maritime capabilities. NSWCDD's Technical Director Mr. Dale Sisson Jr. noted that NSTIC enables hands-on research, development, and testing of weapon systems.
• Advanced Technology International (ATI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2019ATI serves as the Consortium Management Firm (CMF) for NSTIC, providing administrative and management services. ATI is a public-service nonprofit based in Summerville, SC that builds and manages collaborations for R&D of new technologies. ATI handles project agreement processes, training, and administrative support to minimize delays and enable contracted firms to focus on delivering innovative capabilities to NSWCDD.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• S2MARTS (Strategic & Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems): A Navy-focused OTA consortium also managed by Advanced Technology International (ATI) that targets microelectronics, RF, and spectrum-related naval surface and undersea capabilities. Closest peer in structure (OTA consortium), sponsor (Navy), and CMF (ATI), with overlapping member base.
• National Armaments Consortium (NAC): A large DoD armaments consortium operating across multiple weapons and armaments technology areas. Shares NSTIC's OTA-driven, multi-domain R&D consortia structure and serves similar defense primes and non-traditional suppliers.
• Information Warfare Research Project (IWRP): A Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR) OTA consortium covering information warfare, cyber, and command-and-control prototyping. Comparable in that it is a Navy-sponsored OTA providing members access to federal R&D solicitations across overlapping tech domains.
• Aviation & Missile Technology Consortium (AMTC): A U.S. Army / DoD OTA consortium focused on aviation and missile technologies. Similar consortium model with OTA authority, broad technology-area scope, and a mix of traditional primes plus non-traditional members seeking rapid prototyping opportunities.
• DoD Ordnance Technology Consortium (DOTC): A DoD OTA consortium for ordnance technology, prototyping, and weapons development. Directly comparable as a consortia-led acquisition vehicle serving defense prime and non-traditional members across adjacent weapons- and lethality-related technology areas.
• Vertical Lift Consortium (VLC): An Army-sponsored OTA consortium for vertical lift / rotorcraft technologies. Structurally identical to NSTIC — government-sponsored, OTA-based, multi-technology-area scope, ATI-style consortium management, and broad industry/academia member base.

Emerging players

• Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane): A peer Navy warfare center that hosts its own OTA-driven prototyping activities (e.g., the Strategic Weapons Systems Engineering Analyses contracts). Comparable as a government sponsor of consortia-style R&D in adjacent naval surface and electronic warfare domains.
• Consortium for Execution of Rendezvous and Servicing Operations (CONFERS): A non-profit industry consortium establishing best practices and standards for on-orbit servicing and rendezvous. Comparable consortium governance and member-driven model, though operating in a different technical domain (space rather than naval surface).

Broad incumbents

• Advanced Technology International (ATI): The nonprofit Consortium Management Firm (CMF) that administers NSTIC and several other DoD OTA consortia. While broader in scope (manages 20+ consortia), ATI is the operational backbone and shared-services provider for NSTIC's contracting, member support, and event functions.
• Defense Innovation Unit (DIU): A DoD organization that accelerates commercial technology adoption into military use via OT and other transactional authorities. Adjacent to NSTIC's mission of bringing non-traditional defense contractors into federal R&D, though DIU is a direct government buyer rather than a membership consortium.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nstic-naval-surface-technology-innovation-consortium

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nstic