UNIVERSITY PARTNERS
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George Mason University
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Hampton University
James Madison University
Norfolk State University
Old Dominion University
Shenandoah University
University of Virginia
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Military Institute
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia State University
Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology
Industry Partners
Join IDHS through the Industry Affiliates Program
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In This Issue
 Message from the IDHS Executive Director
In the first IDHS Newsletter, I spoke of the rare opportunity provided to those of us at the Institute for Defense and Homeland Security -- the chance to build the institute from the ground up and to lay the foundation for its future. In creating the right vision for IDHS, we must first look at fundamental changes taking place in the national R&D infrastructure and the challenges and opportunities created by those changes.
Today an entire generation of scientists and engineers whose careers began with the race to the moon and the Viet Nam War are retiring or transitioning to new careers. Coupled with this relatively sudden loss of talent and corporate memory is the continuation of the trend toward downsizing of federal R&D activities that began in the early 1990s. Because national defense and homeland security interests demand that we maintain a robust technology base in the face of dwindling federal resources, this century's challenge is to establish appropriate and complementary relationships among the public and private sector components of the national R&D enterprise.
Governor Warner recently challenged IDHS to support his Virginia higher education goals by "encouraging cooperative ventures … that build on the collective strengths of our colleges and universities." IDHS stands ready to engage actively in the creation of the new national Science and Technology paradigm. Done correctly, the result will be a safer future for the American people.
-- Hugh Montgomery
Strategic Vision and Goals Approved by IDHS Executive Committee
At IDHS's first Executive Committee Meeting, held September 4 at the Herndon, VA, headquarters of Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology, IDHS Executive Director Hugh Montgomery presented the Executive Committee with the vision and goals of the Institute. IDHS gives academia and the technology community the opportunity to work together to transition new technology out of the lab and into the marketplace. The ground rules that Montgomery has laid out for IDHS ensures that the Institute will be a successful liaison between the government, industry and academia and that its existence will benefit Virginia's companies, universities and citizens.
IDHS was founded to create opportunities to enhance security. It is not a for-profit business, and it will not compete with its members. Its role is to build consensus among its members, to make the Institute stronger than the sum of its parts and to find opportunities for its members that they could not find alone.
The Institute will bridge the communication gap between defense and homeland security agencies and technology solution providers. By serving as an honest broker for federal and state agencies, IDHS will assess the quality of technology solutions. With sustained support in federal budget, IDHS can meet these objectives and help create a safer future.
More specifically, IDHS has established the following goals:
- To become a national center of excellence for demonstration and transition of science and technology (S&T) solutions to meet national defense and homeland security needs
- To translate national defense and homeland security capability shortfalls into S&T requirements
- To develop, demonstrate and transition world-class technology to address those requirements
- To provide educational opportunities in defense and homeland security R&D requirements and policy
- To increase the quality and quantity of defense and homeland security R&D
The strategic plan and goals were accepted by the Executive Committee. IDHS will continue to work on a set of metrics that will ensure that its programs contribute to Governor Warner's goals for technology growth in the Commonwealth.
The executive committee also approved the IDHS bylaws and set its next meeting for December.
IDHS Submits ACTD Proposals
On October 1, 2003, IDHS submitted three proposals for consideration under the Defense Department's Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) program for fiscal year 2005.
As discussed on the DOD ACTD web site, the ACTD process was initiated to permit the early and inexpensive evaluation of mature advanced technology to meet the needs of the warfighter. The evaluation is accomplished by the warfighter to determine military utility before a commitment is made to proceed with formal acquisition. ACTDs also allow the warfighter to develop and refine operational concepts to take full advantage of the new capability. Upon conclusion, a successful ACTD may leave behind a residual operational capability. The capability can be replicated, if only a few are required, or can be transitioned into the appropriate phase of formal acquisition.
The ACTD program provides an excellent mechanism for federal funds to flow through IDHS to its university, industry and government partners. The accelerated pace of the demonstration and acquisition also benefits IDHS's industry partners who get a chance to refine technology applications in the field, speeding the process to eventual commercialization.
The following are the FY 2005 ACTD proposals submitted by IDHS:
Red Cell. The real-time detection of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive (CBRNE) emergencies, rapid alert and warning to appropriate personnel and populations via the existing national cellular telephone infrastructure.
Remote Presence. The exploitation of maturing unmanned vehicle and telepresence technologies to minimize danger to personnel while multiplying effectiveness.
Wild Canary. The exploitation of DOD investments in human syndromic surveillance in wildlife for prediction/warning/tracking of biosecurity and bioterrorist threats. The quad chart descriptions are available to Industry Affiliates on the members-only portion of the website. IAP members will shortly receive password and login instructions. More information on the ACTD program is available on DOD's Advanced Systems and Concepts Office web site.
IDHS to Leverage Federal Funds to Boost R&D Expenditures
As part of his ongoing Education for a Lifetime initiative, Governor Mark R. Warner has called on Virginia colleges and universities to increase their annual spending on R&D to $1 billion annually by 2010. Besides each university stepping up its own R&D funding efforts, the Governor is encouraging cooperative research ventures that build on the collective strengths of Virginia's colleges and universities to help meet this $1 billion R&D goal.
As a university-industry-government partnership, IDHS can leverage the state's research investment. IDHS's goal is to work with the universities to bring the amount of federal obligations from DOD and the Department of Homeland Security to $100 million by 2010. The obligations IDHS accrues will be added to sponsored research funds, matching funds and the universities' own expenses to equal $1 billion in total R&D expenditures by Virginia's universities by 2010.
The partnerships at the heart of IDHS broaden the Institute's reach and allow it to call on a wide spectrum of expertise and position it among the major R&D players in the homeland security field.
IDHS is developing metrics that will allow the Institute to measure its performance toward both its strategic and monetary goals. Among the first of those goals is to be self-supporting before the end of FY 2005 and to establish sustained support in the President's Budget in the following federal budget cycle.
IDHS Welcomes Its Newest Industry Affiliates
As of mid-October, 2003, the members of the Industry Affiliates Program include:
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Industry Affiliates:
The second regional Industry Roundtable will be held on November 20 in Hampton Roads with the cooperation and support of the Hampton Roads Technology Council. Details will be provided as event logistics are firmed up. | |
1SecureAudit, LLC
American Systems Corporation
Avir, LLC
BRTRC Technology Research Corporation
Congressional Strategies
Engedi Technologies, Inc.
Gibbs & Cox, Inc.
Horne Engineering Services, Inc.
Innovative Wireless Technologies
ITT Industries Night Vision
K&M Environmental, Inc.
KENTCO
Language Analysis Systems, Inc.
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Luna Innovations
National Security Research, Inc., National Programs
Northrop Grumman Corp, Electronics Sector
Ricciardi Technologies, Inc., Software Systems Division
Safety Software, Inc. | | | | SAIC, Technology Applications Sector
The Patuxent Partnership
Xsystems, Inc. |
Prospective applicants for full, regular membership in IAP must be for-profit research- and technology-intensive organizations engaged in the provision of products or services directly related to U.S. defense and homeland security objectives. Members should view participation as an opportunity for access to requirements and Science and Technology initiatives of Defense and Homeland Security agencies, with the potential to engage in collaborative applied R&D efforts with partner universities and federal laboratories and leading to product commercialization. The complete list of benefits will be made available to members in this category. Associate memberships are also available with limited benefits.
Complete details regarding eligibility, benefits, fees and an on-line application form can be found on the IDHS website.
Call for Columns and Company Profiles
Starting with this issue of the IDHS Newsletter, we will include brief, one-paragraph profiles of IAP members (see below). These profiles will also be posted on the IDHS website to provide further exposure for IAP members. IAP members should send their profiles to Jan Griffen at jgriffen@cit.org.
Upcoming issues of the IDHS Newsletter will contain a "Thought Leadership" column written by an industry and/or university partner. The Thought Leadership column will give IDHS partners an opportunity to voice their views on the issues/challenges/opportunities facing industry and academia in connection with their participation in Homeland and Security and Defense initiatives. IAP members who wish to contribute should email Jan Griffen at jgriffen@cit.org.
IAP Member Profiles
 Gibbs & Cox, Inc. is an independent engineering and design firm specializing in naval architecture, marine engineering, design, management support and consulting engineering. More than 200 naval vessels now in service or under contract worldwide, including over 60% of the U.S. Navy's current surface combatant fleet, are built to Gibbs & Cox designs. Gibbs & Cox is leveraging its extensive experience with the Navy in the hardening of ships against conventional, nuclear, chemical or biological attack and offering its services to other government and commercial clients in hardening of structural, HVAC and mechanical systems for buildings, facilities and infrastructure.
 ITT Industries Night Vision is the leading developer and supplier of night vision devices for U.S. and allied military forces. The company also provides night vision equipment to federal, state and local law enforcement and security agencies. Featuring the latest advancements in imaging technology, ITT's product line includes everything from night vision goggles and monoculars to weapon sights and 24-hour surveillance cameras. These products are available with ITT's Generation 3 Pinnacle™ image intensifier tube, which provides the highest performance available in the night vision industry. Along with high-quality, field-proven products, ITT also offers night vision training at users' facilities. The company's commitment to training includes a 40-ft mobile training unit as well as a field office, established in 2002, directly across the street from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Brunswick, GA.
 Language Analysis Systems has two decades of experience in making products that solve the complex problem of understanding unfamiliar names by combining computational linguistics with advanced software engineering. LAS software is used by law enforcement, U.S. intelligence and border inspection agencies as well as commercial corporations. The government contracts that LAS has been awarded over the years have been "sole-source justified," meaning that no other company has the expertise needed to fulfill these advanced technology contracts.
 Xsystems is a systems integration company made up of highly experienced and certified IT professionals and consultants that specialize in XML document management and web portals. Founded in 1991 with offices in Crystal City, Blacksburg and Manassas, Xsystems is business partners with ArborText, IBM and SoftwareAG. Xsystems has successfully designed, developed and deployed a comprehensive range of XML and web service solutions for the National Ground Intelligence Center, the Marine Corps Intelligence Activity, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Executive Office of the President, General Services Administration and many others.
Upcoming Events
October 28-30, 2003
Governor's Homeland Security Conference
Virginia Military Institute - Lexington
IDHS is endorsing and participating in the three-day "Governor's Homeland Security Conference," which will bring together some of America's key leaders to begin a national dialog on economic security, public-private partnership strategies and strategic homeland security policy issues. On the morning of October 30, IDHS Executive Director Hugh Montgomery will moderate the panel, "Academic and Private Contributions to Securing the Homeland: The Virginia Institute for Defense and Homeland Security." Panelists include Dr. James B. Kadtke, Congressional Fellow, Office of Senator John W. Warner; Peter Verga, the Special Assistant for Homeland Security at the Defense Department; and James A. Wrightson, Jr., Vice President for Strategic Planning and Corporate Development, at Lockheed Martin Corp. Involvement by IDHS partners is encouraged. A preliminary conference program is posted on the conference web site.
October 29, 2003
Shenandoah Valley Technology Council Luncheon featuring IDHS Executive Director Hugh Montgomery
Golden Corral, 2335 East Market St.
Harrisonburg
Email info@svtc-va.org for more information.
November 12-13
Countering Risks Of Terrorism - Meeting The Challenges Of Integrating Governmental Responses
University of Virginia - Charlottesville
The University of Virginia is hosting a conference that will address the pressing need to reorganize to build the necessary partnerships between the federal government, states and local communities. The schedule of events includes sessions and keynote talks by leaders in federal, state and local government, academic institutions and industry. Panel and audience discussions will provide forums for vigorous interaction. Visit the conference web site for more information.
November 12, 2003
Region 2000 Tech Council's Wired Wednesday Luncheon featuring a presentation on Virginia's Institute for Defense and Homeland Security
Small Business Development Centre - Lynchburg
November 20, 2003
IDHS Industry Affiliate Informational Roundtable
Venue TBA - Hampton Roads
January TBA, 2003
IDHS Industry Affiliate Informational Roundtable
Venue TBA - Northern Virginia
Virginia's Homeland Security in the News
Q&A: Institute for Defense and Homeland Security
Q&A with Hugh Montgomery, IDHS executive director, and a 30-year veteran of military research and development programs. In the print and audio interview, Montgomery discusses gaps in the federal R&D infrastructure and funding, the role of the university in filling those gaps and the future of IDHS. (Washington Post, October 14, 2003)
SU Awarded $309K Grant From The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded grants to 12 universities across the country, including Shenandoah University, to support curricular development in bioterrorism at health-professions schools. The grants, which are administered by the department's Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), total $4,221,541 and are part of $4.4 billion in federal spending on bioterrorism preparedness in the 2003 fiscal year. (Shenandoah University, September 30, 2003)
Va. Governor Touts Research Funding Goal
Governor Mark R. Warner has made university-based research and development a cornerstone of his effort to bolster the state's high-tech economy and global stature as a technology center. The effort has a twofold goal of attracting more funds to budget-strapped universities and providing entrepreneurial opportunities for the state's ailing technology sector. Warner has turned to Virginia's recently formed Institute for Defense and Homeland Security to help pool the universities' research efforts. (Washington Post, September 22, 2003)
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