Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD — U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center (DEVCOM CBC) Director Michael Bailey signed an Educational Partnership Agreement with University of Delaware Vice President for Research Dr. Miguel Garcia-Diaz in a signing ceremony held at the university’s campus in Newark, Delaware on April 17.
The agreement makes it easier for DEVCOM CBC and the university to do several things. They include joining forces in laboratory research projects, giving University of Delaware students academic credit for time spent on Center research projects, having Center scientists develop and teach university courses, and loaning each other laboratory equipment as well as donating surplus equipment.
The agreement formalizes a long history of collaborative research between the two institutions. They include biomanufacturing, new materials development, liquid crystals research, and even performing experiments on an autonomous inhalation robot to see how chemical biological agent enters the body.
The idea for this arrangement came about when DEVCOM CBC Technology Transfer Specialist, Matt Jones, noticed how well DEVCOM headquarters’ master Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the University of Delaware worked. “When I saw how much value both parties got from their collaboration due to the agreement, I decided that we needed something like that ourselves,” he said. “That would add another prestigious research university to our list of research partners.” That list that includes Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins, Southern Illinois and the University of California at Davis.
From there, he contacted the Chief Scientist for DEVCOM CBC’s Protection Division, Dr. Greg Peterson. Peterson had received his doctorate in chemistry from the university in 2021 and had a lot of contacts in their Chemistry Department. He saw value in the idea immediately. “By combining our expertise with theirs, this is an opportunity to achieve research breakthroughs that neither of us might achieve on our own,” he said. “Working together will also expand each other’s capabilities.”
Bailey also sees great value in the arrangement. “We have a lot of common research areas, we have a lot of University of Delaware alumni here, and they are less than an hour’s drive away,” said Bailey. “I foresee a lot of promising research projects coming out of this and their students will get to know us and consider the Center as a place to have their careers.”
Garcia-Diaz concurred, “The University of Delaware is deeply grateful for our partnership with DEVCOM CBC, based on a shared commitment to innovation and a vibrant spirit of collaboration. We look forward to building on our strong history of joint research and workforce development, further advancing critical initiatives in support of America’s defense.”
