The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is looking for members and organizations in the scientific and technical communities to propose research and development projects that support national security, according to a recent announcement.
The agency released a Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (LRBAA) on Aug. 13 as an “open invitation” to submit proposals for 23 research and development areas. The LRBAA is intended to advance the nation’s “scientific and technical knowledge” and advance “operational environments.”
“The LRBAA provides DHS the opportunity to explore unique ideas for potential innovative solutions from industry and academia to address some of the country’s most pressing security challenges,” said Dusty Lang, the program manager of LRBAA. “The process is designed to allow innovators to gauge DHS’s interest early on, reducing the effort and expense of creating a full proposal.”
The 23 areas provided are categorized by specific “mission areas” including counter terrorism and homeland security threats; secure U.S. borders and approaches; secure cyberspace and critical infrastructure; preserve and uphold the nation’s prosperity and economic security; and strengthen preparedness and resilience.
Secure borders, cyberspace, and critical infrastructure have the most areas of interest, including air based technologies, maritime domain awareness technologies, screening at speed, trustworthy and responsible artificial intelligence, and shared cyber resilience.
Other areas include emerging technologies, threat prevention, public safety tools for lithium-ion battery incidents, and technology acceptance.
The DHS release noted that industry members who want to ask more questions and learn more about the topics in the announcement will be able to attend a hybrid “Industry Day” on Aug. 21.
