As the first HBCU to direct a UARC and receive funding from the Air Force, Howard makes history again. 

 

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III and U.S. Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall were guests of Howard University President Wayne A. I. Frederick, M.D., MBA, to make the announcement that Howard will be the 15th University Affiliated Research Center (UARC). 

The university’s president is overjoyed at this outstanding achievement, which has made the HBCU rise to the forefront of American innovation, according to The Dig.

 

“Being awarded this contract is a historic and tremendous accomplishment for Howard University. No other UARCs are providing this type of research to the Department of Defense at present, and Howard researchers are uniquely positioned to serve as a leader in the nation’s innovation and application of automated systems,” Frederick pridefully said.  

“This center puts Howard University at the forefront of progressive science and technology efforts. While the primary goal of the center is conducting valuable research for the Air Force and Department of Defense, this center is also meant to help Howard and the consortium schools increase their research capacity. I have no doubt that this work will move us one step closer to our goal of reaching an R1 classification,” he went on to say. 

 

The research priorities of the Howard University center will be tactical autonomy. A five-year, $90 million contract with the Department of Defense will be used to create the UARC. Howard University will receive $18 million per year through the center to support research that will advance the creation of effective, affordable, reliable human-machine teaming, systems-of-systems with autonomy, and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities that fit within the DOD’s modernization objectives. 

 

“Today as we work to build enduring advantages for our brave men and women in uniform, we must seek the latest innovations in science and in engineering. That means building more bridges to America’s outstanding STEM community,”Austin shared.  

“Only a tiny fraction of our department’s research funding goes to HBCUs. As Secretary of Defense, I am determined to change that. To sharpen America’s technological edge and to strengthen America’s outstanding military, the department is committed to investing in even more HBCUs and minority-serving institutions. Today, we are taking that commitment to a new level, “he confidently continued. 

 

The award of this highly regarded contract represents the University’s first venture into the realm of government contracting. Howard’s long-term strategy will revolve around this agreement. The work and expense of maintaining a UARC typically increase over time, but the steady stream of revenue they bring to the institution is worth the effort.  

 

However, Howard has been working on the UARC’s programmatic backbone for quite some time. Fifteen doctoral students and two master’s students are currently working on autonomous systems and machine learning research. With this new contract, Howard will be the go-to expert in the country for matters pertaining to tactical autonomy. 

 

According to Danda Rawat, the chief of the Department of Defense Center of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at Howard, researchers will commence on February 1, at a temporary location while a more long – term location is being renovated. Washington Post noted that Rawat, who will serve as the center’s principal investigator, expressed hope that the five-year, $90 million contract would be extended “for life.” 

A group of colleges led by Howard will include Florida Memorial, Jackson State, Delaware State, Bowie State, Norfolk State, and Tougaloo College. 

 

air forceBlavity-UBlavity-U-NewsHBCU Research CenterHBCU-FundingHBCU-NewsHoward-universityUARC