Official website of the Department of Homeland Security
Work with DHS Science and Technology
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) develops science and technology solutions to address real-world threats and situations including cyber-attacks, hurricanes, power outages, collapsed buildings, active shooters, wildfires, border protection, improvised explosive devices and biodefense. Whatever the scenario, whatever the threat, S&T’s mission is to strengthen America’s security and resilience by providing innovative technology solutions, procedures and guidance for the Homeland Security Enterprise (HSE) which consists of DHS Components and first responders across the country.
Start Here
After you've followed the general guidance for doing business with DHS, if you are interested in doing business specifically with S&T, a good first step is to determine if your concept, technology or product aligns with a high-priority need identified by DHS. These DHS technology needs are described on FedBizOpps the primary portal for contracting opportunities.
Additional Online Resources
S&T also provides additional online resources where businesses and universities can learn about potential partnerships with S&T.
- S&T’s Broad Agency Announcements Program Portal provides specific details about current solicitations, research topics and needs for S&T.
- Project Responder identifies gaps between current emergency response capabilities and those required to respond to a catastrophic event and prioritizes areas of investment to address or reduce those gaps. Capability gaps are drawn from interviews from with leaders in law enforcement, emergency medical services (EMS), emergency management and the fire service.
- S&T Small Business Innovation Research Program awards funds to small businesses to enable rapid commercialization and delivery of operational prototypes to the HSE.
- S&T Office of University Programs taps the expertise of the nation’s colleges and universities to address the country’s pressing homeland security needs.
- The SAFETY Act provides important legal liability protections for providers of Qualified Anti-Terrorism Technologies - whether they are products or services. The goal of the SAFETY Act is to encourage the development and deployment of effective anti-terrorism products and services by providing liability protections.
- The System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER) Program conducts objective assessments and validations on commercial equipment and systems, and provides those results along with other relevant equipment information to the emergency responder community.
- Technology Transfer Program serves as the focal point for technology transfer activities at DHS. Currently, the Department operates from one centralized Office of Research and Technology Applications to manage technology transfer internally and at each of its laboratories.
- Commercialization Office Upcoming Opportunities provides information on events and opportunities hosted by partners of DHS S&T’s Research & Development Partnerships Group. This informative email is by available by subscription only.
Tips
To introduce yourself to your prospects at DHS, electronic marketing is recommended over making cold calls to the specialists. We have specific marketing tips on the types of attachments you should include in your emails and how to format them to assure your prospects get what they need to give you their full consideration.
We also provide answers to frequently asked questions from businesses who are seeking opportunities at DHS to help you navigate the procurement process.