The DHS S&T Office of University Programs (OUP) is requesting applications from accredited U. S. colleges and universities to lead a consortium of universities for an ESE COE.

The DHS COEs are university consortia that work closely with DHS Components to conduct research, develop and transition

credit: brighthorizonsfoundation.org

mission-relevant science and technology, educate the next generation of homeland security technical experts, and train the current workforce in the latest scientific applications.

Each COE is led by an accredited U. S. college or university and involves multiple partners for varying lengths of time.

COE partners include other academic institutions, commercial industry, DHS Components, Department of Energy National Laboratories and other Federally-Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), other federal agencies that have homeland security-relevant missions, state, local, tribal, territorial (SLTT) governments, non-profits, and first responder organizations.

DHS envisions the COEs as long-term trusted partners that provide an array of resources to help DHS improve operations.

OUP maintains both financial assistance and contract mechanisms for DHS to access COE capabilities.

The COEs that make up the COE network are listed at https://www.dhs.gov/st-centers-excellence.

The new Center will be a fully-integrated component of the COE network and will take advantage of the network's resources to develop mission-critical research, education, and technology transition programs.