Defense Department Awards $9.3 Million Cooperative Agreement to Support Progression of Hispanic Students in STEMDefense Department Awards Funding for Five Small, Non[...]

The Department of Defense announced the award of a cooperative agreement to the Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities (HSRU) today to enhance the academic and professional success of underrepresented students, particularly Hispanic students, in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields relevant to the DoD.

Led by the University of Texas El Paso and University of Central Florida, the HSRU Alliance comprises over 22 Hispanic-Serving Institutions that are highly active in research, as determined by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The Alliance's member universities enroll a combined 32 percent undergraduate Hispanic student population.

Under the cooperative agreement, the consortium will receive up to $9.3 million over the course of five years to execute the project, Hispanic-Serving Research Institutions Research and STEM Education. This will introduce a multi-institutional framework with the following components: (1) application submission and fellowship advising for graduate students in a cohort-based format, (2) graduate student fellowships, (3) programming to promote DoD-focused faculty leadership, (4) competitive DoD-funded research opportunities, and (5) research-informed inclusive science practices and interventions.

The initiative is foundational to the department's strategy to build a 21st century workforce with the skills and talent needed to meet evolving defense challenges, said Dr. Farrukh Alvi, director for institutional research capacity and strategic growth in the Basic Research Office within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. "This project will help meet a national security need for a highly trained and agile workforce in areas relevant to national defense. It implements a holistic approach to increasing participation from underrepresented groups, allowing the HSRU team and DoD to track performance and refine their approach over the life of the project."

The project is the output of an April 2024 forum on "Growing and Diversifying the National Research Ecosystem" sponsored by the Basic Research Office in partnership with the chief scientist of the Department of the Air Force and the HSRU Alliance. The forum gathered representatives from across academia and government to identify the key drivers, requirements, challenges, and essential basic research program elements related to growing current and future generations of STEM researchers.

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The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E) is the Chief Technology Officer of the Department of Defense. The USD(R&E) champions research, science, technology, engineering, and innovation to maintain the United States military's technological advantage. Learn more at www.cto.mil or visit us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/ousdre.