The Department of Homeland Security has released a strategic plan to optimize its research investments with the ultimate goal of reducing U.S. exposure to various security risks by fiscal year 2030.
The DHS said Monday that its Innovation, Research and Development Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2024-2030 offers options for how IRD investments could be coordinated in order to maximize their impacts on the agency’s missions.
DHS Undersecretary for Science and Technology Dimitri Kusnezov noted how IRD investments bring about technologies that ensure “our front-line operators have the tools they need to stay ahead of our adversaries and better prepare for and respond to natural hazards.”
A key element of the strategy is the introduction of strategic priority research areas, which are described as “a cross-cutting assembly of enduring scientific efforts which provide a means for addressing priority needs across multiple HSE mission areas.”
The plan lists eight SPRAs — advanced sensing; artificial intelligence and autonomous systems; biotechnology; climate change; communications and networking; cybersecurity; data integration, analytics, modeling and simulation; and digital identity and trust — and shows how they align with the DHS’ six homeland security enterprise missions.
The SPRAs are expected to not only facilitate intra-agency collaboration but help with the development of the resource allocation plan for fiscal years 2026 through 2030 and beyond.