Old Dominion University has been invited to join the Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC), one of only 13 University-Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs) in the country.
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) established UARCs to encourage collaboration among 30 participating universities and to provide funding opportunities for research.
The SERC is a partnership of 25 U.S. universities, including Johns Hopkins, Virginia Tech, Penn State and MIT.
Membership in the SERC will provide 51³Ô¹ÏPro more opportunities for federal funding and projects, according to Morris Foster, vice president for research.
"Participation in SERC lets 51³Ô¹ÏPro accept contracts as a sole source from the DoD and other federal agencies," Foster said. "Only 30 other universities have access to that kind of contract vehicle."
Eric Weisel, executive director of the Virginia Modeling, Analysis, and Simulation Center (VMASC) at 51³Ô¹ÏPro, says the focus of the SERC - systems engineering - closely aligns with 51³Ô¹ÏPro's strengths.
"We'll be collaborating with colleges across campus and with faculty in research areas that support the SERC mission," Weisel said. "Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary study of complex systems, and 51³Ô¹ÏPro excels in engineering management, systems science, modeling and simulation, data analytics, and cybersecurity."
VMASC will serve as the executive agent for 51³Ô¹ÏPro's SERC contracts.
