DHS Unveils Funding Program for First Responder Technology R&D

The Department of Homeland Security is seeking potential partners from industry, academia, laboratories and other organizations to help the agency build new technologies for first responders in the country. 

DHS issued a Broad Agency Announcement solicitation on Tuesday to seek white papers for 12 first responder technology funding opportunities led by the Science and Technology Directorate. 

“We want to help first responders of all disciplines do their job more safely and effectively,” said Milt Nenneman, a program manager at DHS S&T. “Each of the following topic areas represent technology needs identified by responders themselves, and we are seeking the best partners to turn these needs into solutions.”

The technologies under the new funding program include detection of individuals through walls, real-time indoor visualization, 3D X-ray images of the inside of containers, GPS tracker for detainees, hazardous crowd dynamics detection, improved communications, real-time electronic data sharing and video and sensor data reduction.

Interested parties can submit white papers to DHS through May 1.