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Release Date: December 20, 2006
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: (202) 282-8010
Washington — The Department of Homeland Security announced today the selection of Battelle National Biodefense Institute to conduct scientific programs and operate the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC), currently under construction at the National Interagency Biodefense Campus in Fort Detrick, Md. The $250 million contract award includes a five-year period of performance, with the potential for five subsequent one-year extensions, bringing the projected award cost to $500 million.
“Scientific research is fundamental to reducing the high consequences of a biological attack,” said Jay M. Cohen, Under Secretary for Science and Technology. “Our threat picture is ever-changing, and this state-of-the-art center will provide an enduring biodefense capability against the biological threats we face.”
The department’s Science and Technology (S&T) directorate will oversee the management of the NBACC, a federally funded research and development center. Upon completion in 2008, the NBACC will offer a safe and secure bio-containment laboratory space for biological threat characterizations and bio-forensics analyses. The facility will comprise roughly 160,000 gross square feet with a staff of approximately 120.
S&T serves as the primary research and development arm of the Department of Homeland Security, focusing America’s scientific and technological resources to provide federal, state and local officials with enhanced technologies and capabilities to assist them in protecting and preparing the homeland.
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This page was last reviewed/modified on December 20, 2006.