Purdue University has launched a new hub for global security and defense innovation at the university’s Discovery Park during a symposium on global defense issues.
Dan DeLaurentis, professor of aeronautics and astronautics at Purdue and a President’s Fellow for defense initiatives, will serve as the interim director of the Institute for Global Security and Defense Innovation, Purdue said Thursday.
The institute aims to advance research efforts in instrumentation, nanotechnology, social and behavioral sciences, big data analytics and simulation in collaboration with Purdue’s other research centers and institutes, the university added.
Purdue intends for the new institute to unify defense and security research efforts across campus.
“Our nation’s universities and their research capabilities are the envy of the world, and for good reason,” Purdue President Mitch Daniels said during the launch.
“We should use this competitive advantage, along with government laboratories, private-sector corporations and venture capital firms to ensure continuous technological military superiority.”
The university received more than $50 million for advanced defense-related research projects in the fiscal year 2016.