May 12, 2008 Jim Pettit
Communications Director: Rep. Rogers
(202) 225-4601 John Verrico
DHS Science & Technology Spokesman
(202) 254-2385 Rogers Announces $17 Million in Homeland Security Initiatives University-Led Projects to Advance Emergency Response, Disaster Prevention Efforts WASHINGTON, DC. — U.S. Rep. Harold “Hal” Rogers (KY-05) announced today that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Somerset-based National Institute for Hometown Security and Kentucky universities and colleges will be developing next generation security solutions to help protect the country from disasters. The non-profit National Institute for Hometown Security (NIHS) performs a critical role for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate. The Directorate identifies the nation’s security technology needs, and NIHS works with Kentucky’s academic community to develop and commercialize solutions for use in the private sector. “We are blazing new trails here,” said Rogers. “Homeland security is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes the coordinated efforts of many dedicated individuals working through trial and error to develop security enhancements that will keep the country safe in the years ahead.”
Joining Rogers and university officials was U.S. DHS Undersecretary Jay Cohen, who oversees the Department’s Science and Technology Directorate. This is the third time top-level DHS officials have visited southeast Kentucky to announce security-focused research and development projects since the NIHS launched in 2004.
“Something very important is taking place here today in Somerset, and I’m pleased to be a part of it,” said Cohen. “The research made possible by partners such as the Kentucky Homeland Security University Consortium, and the National Institute for Hometown Security, lays the groundwork for developing viable technologies for protecting people and critical infrastructure.” The Science and Technology Directorate is the research and development hub for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The mission of this organization is to help ensure that the country stays ahead of terrorists who at any given time are identifying the nation’s vulnerabilities and plotting attacks. Identifying security solutions is a daunting task involving thousands of businesses, government organizations and universities. NIHS helps the Department’s Science and Technology Directorate accomplish this task, tapping into Kentucky’s knowledge base to move solutions out of science labs and into market. A collaborative approach is at the heart of the Institute’s role in producing new solutions for the security vulnerabilities confronting the nation’s vast critical infrastructure, over 80% of which is privately-owned. Although not involved in the selection of specific projects, NIHS instead manages initiatives through the stages of design, development and market acceptance to increase the likelihood of conforming to the cost-considerations of private industry, which in most cases will be the ultimate customer. DHS defines security priorities, identifies projects that best suit Science and Technology’s requirements and leaves the day-to-day management functions to the Institute. Four NIHS-led projects, launched with earlier rounds of funding, are now on the path towards commercialization. These projects address needs in the areas of emergency communications, advanced biometric identification, securing the food supply and blast mitigation. The Kentucky Homeland Security University Consortium, founded in 2004 along with NIHS, provides the research assets and resources for this initiative. Consortium members are Eastern Kentucky University, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University, the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville and Western Kentucky University. Broadening the outreach to the statewide academic community, members of the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities work with the consortium, As a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, Rogers works to secure funding for important homeland security initiatives. “Congressman Rogers understands how important science and technology is to the security of the nation,” said Cohen. “He gets it.”
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