Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction: Academic Research Initiative (ARI)

The ARI program addresses the security, prevention and protection per the Presidential Policy Directive #8 (PPD-8) by seeking novel cross-cutting research that will enhance national security’s capability to detect and prevent the illicit entry, transport, assembly, or potential use within the United States of unauthorized chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) materials, devices or agents and otherwise help protect against an attack using such materials, devices, or agents.

Objectives

The ARI Program has two primary objectives: 1) Engage the academic community to advance fundamental knowledge for CBRN sciences applicable to Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) with emphasis on fundamental research to solve long-term, high-risk challenges and 2) Develop human capital for the CBRN science and engineering profession. Further, the program works to sustain a long-term commitment to basic research in this field and coordinates research efforts across the federal government. 

Miscellaneous

• Other