[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 55 (Tuesday, March 24, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12370-12371]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-6451]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Notice Designating Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey,
as Data Sciences Lead Institution for the DHS Center of Excellence for
Command, Control and Interoperability
AGENCY: Department of Homeland Security.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Homeland Security has designated Rutgers,
the State University of New Jersey (Rutgers) as a DHS Center of
Excellence for Command, Control and Interoperability
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joseph Kielman, Science and Technology
Directorate, Department of Homeland Security, Washington, DC 20528;
telephone 202-254-5787; e-mail [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Section 308 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, Public Law 107-
296, (the ``Homeland Security Act''), as amended by the Consolidated
Appropriations Resolution 2003, Public Law 108-7, and as codified in
Title 6 of the United States Code Chapter I Subchapter III Section
188(b)(2) [6 U.S.C. 188(b)(2)], directs the Department of Homeland
Security (``Department'') to sponsor extramural research, development,
demonstration, testing and evaluation programs relating to homeland
security. As part of this program, the Department has established a
coordinated system of university-based centers for homeland security
(the ``Centers'').
The Centers are envisioned to be an integral component of the
Department's capability to anticipate, prevent, respond to, and recover
from terrorist attacks and natural disasters. The Centers will leverage
multidisciplinary capabilities and fill gaps in current knowledge.
6 U.S.C. 188(b)(2)(B) lists fourteen areas of substantive expertise
that, if demonstrated, might qualify universities for designation as
university-based centers. The listed areas of expertise include: (1)
The training of first responders; (2) responding to incidents involving
weapons of mass destruction and biological warfare; (3) emergency and
diagnostic medical services; (4) chemical, biological, radiological and
nuclear countermeasures or detection; (5) animal and plant health and
diagnostics; (6) food safety; (7) water and wastewater operations; (8)
port and waterway security; (9) multi-modal transportation; (10)
information security and information engineering; (11) engineering;
(12) educational outreach and technical assistance; (13) border and
transportation security; and (14) the public policy implications and
public dissemination of homeland security relevant research and
development.
However, this list is not exclusive. 6 U.S.C. 188(b)(2)(C) gives
the Secretary discretion to except certain criteria specified in 6
U.S.C. 188(b)(2)(B) and consider additional criteria beyond those
specified in 6 U.S.C. 188(b)(2)(B) in selecting universities for this
program, as long as the Department issues a Federal Register notice
explaining the criteria used for the designation. This Center of
Excellence will address statutory criterion 6 U.S.C. 188(b)(2)(B)(10),
information security and information engineering.
Evaluation
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) chose Rutgers University
and its partner institutions for the new Center of Excellence (COE)
through a merit-based, competitive, and rigorous review process
consistent with guidelines set forth in Section 308 of the Homeland
Security Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-296), as amended. The DHS Science and
Technology Directorate (S&T) issued a research funding opportunity
announcement (FOA) soliciting applications for the establishment of a
COE for the Study of Command, Control and Interoperability (CCI) issues
on May 1, 2008 on http://www.grants.gov.
DHS received eight proposals in response to this announcement.
External subject matter experts considered the merits of these
proposals with respect to the evaluation criteria in the announcement
and referred four
[[Page 12371]]
proposals to a DHS internal review panel. DHS subject matter experts
evaluated the proposals in light of DHS priorities and investments and
made recommendations. A select team of S&T staff made site visits to
all four applicants considered by the internal review panel. At the end
of the competitive review, University Programs selected the lead
institutions in accordance with Section 308 of the Homeland Security
Act of 2002.
Criteria
As communicated in the funding opportunity announcement and to the
reviewers, the evaluation criteria for proposals were as follows. The
first six criteria (a-f) were critical elements of the proposal and
were of equal significance. Proposals that did not provide satisfactory
responses to all of these essential criteria were declined. The
remaining criteria (g-m) also were important to meeting S&T's overall
objectives. They were listed in approximate descending order of
importance, and needed to be fully addressed by applicants.
a. Responsiveness: The degree to which the proposal directly
responds to the research areas, topics or questions described in the
funding opportunity announcement, with appropriate scientific theory,
methods, and data.
b. Technical Merit and Quality: The degree to which the proposed
research focus will achieve excellence (to offer results capable of
commanding the respect of active researchers and of probing a frontier
area well). The originality and creativity of the proposed research
questions and the appropriateness and adequacy of the proposed research
methods.
c. Mission-Related Significance: The degree to which the proposed
research focus can yield results that overcome existing and difficult
technical limitations, or that offer the scientific basis to enable
major technological advances in the foreseeable future. The
responsiveness of the proposal to the research needs identified in this
announcement and the willingness and ability of the applicants to
consult with Federal, state, local and private stakeholders to refine
research questions and design to make results applicable to homeland
security issues or policy.
d. Geographical distribution of all Centers of Excellence and major
partners: The Centers of Excellence program's authorizing legislation
states: ``* * * the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, shall
operate extramural research, development, demonstration, testing and
evaluation programs so as to ensure that colleges, universities,
private research institutes and companies from as many regions of the
United States as practicable participate.'' Geographical location of
the lead institution and its major partners will be a factor in
evaluating proposals submitted in response to this COE.
e. Qualifications of Investigators: The qualifications of the
principal investigator(s) and other key personnel, including training,
demonstrated knowledge of pertinent literature, experience, and
publication records, and the extent to which key personnel will make a
significant time commitment to the project.
f. Productive Use of Federal Resources: The ability to extend the
productivity of Federal funds and other resources through matching
funds, leveraging of other new fund sources, in-kind provision of
faculty, student support, dedicated office or laboratory space.
g. Facilities and Equipment: The availability and/or adequacy of
the facilities and equipment proposed for the project.
h. Management: The ability of the lead institution to manage a
complex Center of Excellence in terms of achieving research results
when due, managing large and complex budgets and communicating research
outcomes, and the adequacy of the proposed management plan to ensure
quality research and education programs from researchers at both
primary and partner institutions.
i. Minority Serving Institution Partnerships: The demonstrated
ability and commitment to establish meaningful partnerships with MSIs
to develop a quality MSI research and training program, and the quality
of the proposed program.
j. Education: The adequacy of education plans and supporting
materials demonstrating the proposed COE's ability to establish an
enduring and comprehensive program of study in disciplines related to
the specific research areas cited in this announcement.
k. Knowledge of Current Research: Evidence that the applicant is
familiar with the research and resources of existing DHS COEs, other
DHS S&T, federal agency or National Laboratory research and development
programs, and other relevant university programs and can demonstrate
its ability to take advantage of these resources.
l. Results Transition: The effectiveness and soundness of a
strategy to transition research results to end users and mechanisms to
accomplish this transition, and demonstration of a clear and effective
plan for transitioning research results for each project or research
area ultimately to homeland security mission agencies.
m. Budget: Although budget information does not reflect on the
application's scientific merit, the evaluation will include the
appropriateness and/or adequacy of the proposed budget and its
implications for the potential success of the proposed research. Input
on requested equipment is of particular interest.
Summary
This COE will conduct fundamental research into the technological
issues, challenges, and policy issues related to 1. Dynamic, on-demand
data processing and visualization; 2. hypothesis-driven data analysis;
3. visualization of structured, unstructured, and streaming data; 4.
mathematics of discrete and visual analytics; 5. scalable information
filtering and dissemination; 6. visualization and simulation of
information; 7. mobile and light-weight information analytics and
sharing. This COE will create the scientific basis and enduring
technologies needed to analyze massive amounts of information from
multiple sources to more reliably detect threats to the security of the
nation and its infrastructures, and to the health and welfare of its
populace. These new technologies will also improve the dissemination of
both information and related technologies.
Based on information collected in the evaluation process, DHS
designated Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, as Data
Sciences Lead Institution for the Command, Control and Interoperability
Center of Excellence, in partnership with Purdue University (the
Visualization Sciences and Education Lead Institution) and other
affiliates. This team of institutions is uniquely well qualified and
located to address data analysis, visualization, cyber security and
other related issues. They will become an intrinsic part of the DHS
science and technology portfolio, working closely with DHS and other
Federal, State, and local governments to solve complex and critical
data and visualization science challenges.
Matthew Clark,
Director, University Programs, Science and Technology Directorate,
Department of Homeland Security.
[FR Doc. E9-6451 Filed 3-23-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-9F-P