House Appropriations Smiles on DHS University Research Centers

The House Appropriations Committee passed on June 9 its version of the fiscal year 2005 Homeland Security bill, approving $70 million for university programs in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The funding level is $40 million above the President's FY 2005 request. The additional $40 million is allocated specifically for university-based centers of excellence.

The Association of American Universities quotes the committee report as saying: "Through the Homeland Security Centers of Excellence (HS-Centers) S&T is encouraging universities to become centers of multidisciplinary research. In fiscal year 2004, S&T awarded three HS-Centers in the areas of: Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events, Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease Defense, and Post-Harvest Food Protection and Defense. The future of homeland security science is also being advanced by the development of the next generation of scientists in the Scholars and Fellows Program. There continues to be intense interest from universities with proposals to perform homeland security activities. This additional funding will allow S&T to evaluate and support additional university proposals in fiscal year 2005."

Funding for the university programs is part of the $1.1 billion approved for DHS Science and Technology Research, Development, Acquisition, and Operations.

The Homeland Security Bill is one of only two appropriations bills most Congress watchers expect will actually be voted out of Congress before the fiscal year ends Sept. 30. The other is the Defense bill.