IDA Moves From Mark Center To New Potomac Yard Headquarters

ALEXANDRIA, VA — The Institute for Defense Analyses, a nonprofit corporation, had completed the move of its headquarters from Mark Center to Potomac Yard in Alexandria.

IDA is a nonprofit corporation that runs three Federally Funded Research and Development Centers: the IDA Systems and Analyses Center, IDA Science and Technology Policy Institute, and IDA Center for Communications and Computing. Its new headquarters at 730 E. Glebe Road is a newly-constructed location.

IDA said in a news release the new location "has the technology, space and amenities that will better serve the needs of our staff and sponsors." The new building is close to government sponsors as well as Virginia Tech Innovation Campus under construction in Potomac Yard and Amazon's HQ2 in Arlington. The headquarters has offices, project rooms, conferencing space, and labs including a 300-person auditorium.

"The new facility provides modern infrastructure, including Metrorail accessibility, substantially more classified work space and meeting space, and places us in an accelerating Northern Virginia innovation ecosystem with Virginia Tech and Amazon, among others," said IDA President Norty Schwartz in a news release.

The headquarters is a block from the future Potomac Yard Metro station, which is expected to open later in 2022. A delay of at least five months was previously announced, setting the station opening to no sooner than fall 2022. The delay was attributed to an error in Metro's contract language.

A ribbon cutting for IDA's new headquarters is expected later in January.