Conference Paper · 2010
Federally Sponsored, Not-for-Profit Research and Development Centers: Evolving Regional Roles to Engineer State and Local Emergency Preparedness Capabilities
Michael R. French, D.B.A. & Dennis R. Schrader, P.E.
American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) · The MITRE Corporation
Download the full paper (PDF)Abstract
This paper examines the roles federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) and university affiliated research centers (UARCs) might play in delivering systems engineering and analytical capabilities to state and local jurisdictions to improve the nation’s preparedness and address enterprise challenges for responding to and recovering from all-hazards incidents and emergencies.
Since 9/11, the nation has made great progress in identifying and countering specific threats at the national level. Yet state and local jurisdictions continue to struggle to upgrade preparedness or develop new capabilities, hampered by a shortage of systems engineering and program management competencies that are difficult to maintain on public payrolls or procure commercially given constrained budgets.
With federal sponsorship, FFRDCs and UARCs are able to provide state and local jurisdictions the capability to effectively define operational requirements, perform systems engineering, and develop integrated capabilities. The systems engineering lifecycle (SELC) provides a path for documenting critical needs and developing concepts and solutions that can be tested and evaluated.
Approved for public release through ASPA. © 2010 The MITRE Corporation.