Virginia Gov. Warner Announces $2.1 Million Homeland Security Partnership

On Tuesday Governor Mark R. Warner announced that the U.S. Department of Defense has signed a $2.1 million partnership agreement with the Institute for Defense and Homeland Security (IDHS) to further develop three security-related programs, including an Environmental Bioterrorism Detection network to improve the detection capability of biological threats such as avian flu and hantavirus. Under the agreement, IDHS will take proposals submitted to the Department of Defense and turn them into more developed, working concepts for possible implementation as nationwide programs.

"As we face threats such as bioterrorism and avian flu, we must use existing technology in new and innovative ways that will help us be better prepared for these security issues," Governor Warner said. "By turning these concepts into workable programs, we will be taking steps to both spur research opportunities and help keep our citizens safer."

IDHS prepared three proposals that will now be more fully developed:

• An Environmental Bioterrorism Detection network that will use wildlife as biosensors and utilize existing facilities and technologies to better detect biological threats, and better coordinate alerts and responses to detected threats.
  
  
• Red Cell, which utilizes existing cellular phone technology to develop a comprehensive alert system that can be used to help first responders react to a crisis, or provide warning to those in the path of a crisis.
  
  
• Remote Presence, which will phase sophisticated, low-cost remote presence technology into emergency response strategies. This may include the use of ground and aerial vehicles, which can create more efficient and safer methods to monitor hostile threats or can provide a presence where one normally would not be feasible.

The Institute for Defense and Homeland Security is a university, industry and federal laboratory research consortium under the purview of Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology, a state-chartered nonprofit corporation that aims to accelerate Virginia's next generation of technology and technology companies. The development of these technologies will engage IDHS' academic, federal and private sector partners, creating research and innovation opportunities.

Eugene Huang, the Commonwealth's Secretary of Technology, said, "These three programs are taking existing technologies and, with limited money, leveraging their use into other areas in innovative ways that will not only make us safer but may create additional economic opportunities for creative entrepreneurs."

The initial phase of these programs will address concepts of operations. An IDHS affiliates meeting was held on November 22, 2005 to kickoff the development of these programs and proposal opportunities. For more information, please visit www.idhs.org.

The Partnership Intermediary Agreement was established by the Air Force Technology Transfer Office, which is responsible for the government Program Management functions. All three concepts of operation will examine Air Force Research Laboratory and other Defense laboratory programs and develop strategies for technology transition into Department of Defense and other federal programs.