Funding Opportunity — Southeast Regional Research Initiative (SERRI)

Proposals to this program are due July 10, 2008. Note the following earlier internal deadlines:

Click this link for the Mississippi Research Initiative Expression of Interest {http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/research/funding/SERRI_FY08-MRI-76-01.doc}

Click this link for the Mississippi Research Initiative Expression of Interest, Amendment #1 {http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/research/funding/SERRI_Amend_No1.doc}

Relevance Areas —

Proposals should be tied to the relevance areas (RAs) of research which are identified below. For further details on these relevance areas, please see the full Expression of Interest.

  1. Geophysical – Mitigating Natural Disasters
  2. Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs)
  3. Community and Regional Resilience
  4. Infrastructure Protection
  5. University Generated, Highly Innovative Projects {click for more information/PDF}

Synopsis of Program —

The Southeast Regional Research Initiative (SERRI) has been established to develop and demonstrate the Homeland Security benefits of leveraging Homeland Security-related research, operational and economic development capabilities within a region of the United States. Because of its diverse and representative infrastructure makeup, the state of Mississippi was chosen as a primary location for initial implementation of the SERRI Program in FY2006 - FY2010. As one principal activity, SERRI will sponsor university research directed toward important Homeland Security problems of regional and national interest. Commercialization and implementation of innovations based upon SERRI-sponsored research will be pursued to transition research results to useful products and services available to Homeland Security responders and practitioners.

The goal of the SERRI Program is to assist local, state, tribal and regional leaders in developing the tools, technologies, systems and methods required by communities, states, and regions to prepare for, respond to, and recover from the effects of a man-made or natural disaster. A region must not only have the capacity to respond effectively in the short-term, but must also have the ability to sustain coordination and control through the request for targeted ex-region response capabilities, and to effectively transition to a joint response when ex-region and Federal response capabilities are brought to bear.

SERRI Objectives —

  1. Combine science and technology with validated operational approaches.
  2. Address regionally relevant requirements.
  3. Suggest regional solutions with national implications.