Accredited United States colleges and universities are invited to submit proposals to lead the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Center of Excellence (COE) for Homeland Security in the Arctic (HSA). The DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) announced a funding opportunity to lead the new Center for up to 10 years and a total of $45 million through a cooperative agreement.
“By partnering with universities, S&T harnesses the intellectual power of academia to address the most complex issues facing the homeland while training the next generation of homeland security experts,” said Dr. Dimitri Kusnezov, DHS Under Secretary for Science and Technology. “Once awarded, this COE will use cutting-edge approaches to conduct critical research needed to prepare for and implement an effective response to the challenges DHS faces in the Arctic domain.”
This funding opportunity is posted on grants.gov. The deadline for submitting proposals is by 11:59 PM ET on June 19, 2023.
Academic-led innovation by the HSA COE will help develop a better understanding of how changing conditions in the Arctic directly impact the mission and operations of DHS components, and will enable enhancements in situational awareness, improvements in resilience, and expand collaboration across the homeland security mission space.
The HSA COE will also provide training and education to ensure the current and aspiring DHS workforce gains the skills to understand and work with latest developments and methods in Arctic research relevant to homeland security.
The DHS COEs work closely with DHS operational components and their partners to conduct research, develop, and transition mission-relevant science and technology, educate the next generation of homeland security technical experts and train the current workforce in the latest scientific applications. The HSA COE will engage with DHS components and fully understand the operational environment to help better identify technical and training gaps. Each DHS COE is led by a U.S. college or university and partners with other federally funded research and development centers, academic institutions, the commercial industry, and other federal, state and local governments, including tribal and territorial agencies.
S&T will conduct an informational webinar for interested applicants on May 9, 2023 at 4:00 PM ET. During the call, DHS will discuss the notice of funding opportunity and allow interested applicants to ask questions. The webinar will be recorded and posted on grants.gov for future reference.
