Since its establishment in 2002, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has continued its mission to prevent and withstand attacks, respond and recover quickly to disasters, and further the prosperity and security of the United States; however, the country continues to face an increasing number of threats and hazards to the peace and safety of its people and infrastructure. An important part of the DHS mission is to develop partnerships and continually seek solutions that will keep us ahead of ever-evolving threats, whether natural, foreign, or domestic. In this spirit, the DHS has developed a plan that seeks to make strategic use of innovation, research, and development (IRD) efforts to help meet its missions, objectives, and focus priority research areas.
The DHS Innovation, Research & Development Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2024-2030 outlines how IRD will impact the following missions and areas for strategic priority research:
DHS MIssions
Strategic Priority Research Areas (SPRAs)
- Mission One: Counter Terrorism and Prevent Threats
- Mission Two: Secure and Manage our Borders
- Mission Three: Administer the Nation’s Immigration System
- Mission Four: Secure Cyberspace and Critical Infrastructure
- Mission Five: Build a Resilient Nation and Respond to Incidents
- Mission Six: Combat Crimes of Exploitation and Protect Victims
- Cross-Cutting IRD for Mission Success
- Advanced Sensing
- Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems
- Biotechnology
- Climate Change
- Communications and Networking
- Cybersecurity
- Data Integration, Analytics, Modeling and Simulation
- Digital Identity and Trust
For more information, the following key documents referenced in the Strategic Plan are available in the HSDL:
Third Quadrennial Homeland Security Review | DHS Science & Technology Directorate, Technology Centers Research Agenda | National Biodefense Strategy and Implementation Plan for Countering Biological Threats, Enhancing Pandemic Preparedness, and Achieving Global Health Security | National Security Memorandum 16: Strengthening the Security and Resilience of United States Food and Agriculture | Executive Order 14110: Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence | National Cybersecurity Strategy
