Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions

Mission— Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions (HBCU/MI) program provides support in fields of science and engineering that are important to national defense. The Department of Defense (DoD) HBCU/MI Program encourages participation of eligible research institutions. The program is authorized by 10 U.S.C. § 4144. This competitive program provides support through grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts for research, education assistance, and instrumentation purchases. Work in this program provides a foundation to enhance participation of HBCUs/MIs in DoD research. Programs are structured to: build infrastructure; strengthen research and educational opportunities at HBCUs/MIs and increase the number of graduates in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines; and expand the pool of scientists and engineers to meet future workforce needs. The DoD HBCU/MI Program aligns with the Secretary of Defense priority to rebuild the military. The DoD HBCU/MI Program aligns with the Department’s technology vision through establishing Centers of Excellence and awarding research grants in critical technology areas. The HBCU/MI Program aligns with the Secretary of Defense “Message to the Force” memorandum through its contributions to the defense industrial base and its role in the development of emerging technologies. The DoD HBCU/MI Program helps to increase the workforce required for DoD through providing internships and fellowships to students and faculty from HBCUs/MIs.

Mission— Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions (HBCU/MI) program provides support in fields of science and engineering that are important to national defense. The Department of Defense (DoD) HBCU/MI Program encourages participation of eligible research institutions. The program is authorized by 10 U.S.C. § 4144. This competitive program provides support through grants or contracts for research, education assistance, instrumentation purchases, and technical assistance as described below. • Research: The research grants further knowledge in the basic scientific disciplines through theoretical and experimental activities. Collaborative research allows university professors to work directly with military laboratories or other universities. • Education: Education assistance funds are used by eligible institutions to strengthen their academic programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), thereby increasing the number of students obtaining undergraduate and graduate degrees in these fields. These grants provide equipment, scholarships, cooperative work/study opportunities, visiting faculty programs, summer internship programs, and a variety of other enhancements designed to encourage students to pursue careers in STEM. • Instrumentation purchases: The program allows universities to purchase basic laboratory equipment, such as lasers and spectrometers, for enhancements to the basic research efforts. • Technical assistance: The funds are used to design programs that expose institutions to DoD funding opportunities to successfully compete for future Defense funding by assisting in areas such as proposal writing and administration of grants and contracts.

Accomplishments & Planned Programs (1)