For Immediate Release:
DHS S&T Press Office: John Verrico, (202) 254-2385
Washington – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is seeking proposals from accredited U.S. universities to educate and build the capabilities of DHS employees. The DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) today announced a $10.5 million funding opportunity for a new DHS Center of Excellence (COE) to develop an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) program focused on security technology transition from federal research and development to operational use. A Request for Proposal (RFP) has been posted on www.fbo.gov, with the deadline for submitting proposals of August 9, 2019.
“S&T’s investment in this space will build a cross-DHS collaborative workforce with the capability and skillset needed to develop, acquire, implement, and manage the transition process of operationally relevant technologies,” said William Bryan, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary for Science and Technology.
United States universities with existing high-quality MBA programs are eligible to apply.
DHS plans to structure its EMBA in Security Technology Transition (STT) Program into three (3) two-year student cohorts, through a Firm Fixed Price contract.
The overarching goal of this Center will be to enhance the business acumen of DHS personnel by providing education and practical experience in the legal, technical, and business aspects of research, development, and transition to public and private sector security agencies. This unique MBA curriculum will include courses on how to navigate established federal acquisition programs, as well as alternative approaches, where appropriate, to get technologies into operational use. It will also provide DHS participants a comprehensive understanding of the requirements for commercializing technologies, where private sector developers or manufacturers need to be involved.
The federal government has unique needs for developing and using technology for public and private purposes. The case study-based STT coursework will convey to students the business and technology management principles that are needed for successful federal research, development, and acquisition. The EMBA STT program will prepare the DHS workforce to understand, manage, and avoid the pitfalls that have historically derailed critical technological or operational improvements. In addition to DHS professionals, the program will be open to private sector, academia, and other federal agency employees.
This program must leverage an existing MBA program’s core management curriculum, and supplement the core curriculum with security technology-focused courses and real-world case study learning applicable to private and public sector research and development programs. Additionally, the STT program will provide insight into the requirements for both private sector commercialization and government acquisition.
The S&T COEs are university consortia that work closely with DHS operating components to conduct research, develop and transition mission-relevant science and technology, and educate the next generation of homeland security technical experts. Each COE is led by a U.S. university and has multiple partners from other universities, commercial interests, DHS, Federally-Funded Research and Development Centers, and other federal state and local agencies.
The notice of funding opportunity for the EMBA STT Lead Institution is available at DHS Technology Transition MBA.
DHS estimates selecting a business school performer by early September 2019. For additional information about the DHS COEs, visit DHS S&T Centers of Excellence.
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