Purdue University, 21CSI to pursue homeland security opportunities

21^st Century Systems, Inc. (21CSI) and Purdue University’s Homeland Security Institute (PHSI) announced that they have entered into an agreement jointly to pursue opportunities for collaborative implementation of new decision support tools and processes at the federal, state, and local levels. The two organizations see mutual benefit in partnering to advance homeland security and defense business in Indiana through combined expertise, research, development, and implementation. The agreement also covers joint proposals, joint research, student education, training, and enhanced relationships among faculty, staff, and students.

PHSI Director, Dr. Eric Dietz, said, “Homeland security is always important, but with Indiana attracting such large events as the Final Four in 2010 and the Super Bowl in 2012, the need for expedited, innovative thinking and action is especially critical. Our partnership with 21CSI offers a unique opportunity to enhance security for the citizens of Indiana in a cost-effective manner, while simultaneously positioning ourselves to attract other future large-profile events.”

21CSI CEO Jeffrey Hicks echoed Dr. Dietz and added, “There are some relatively near-term goals that we can achieve through a combined effort, and that should result in more high-tech jobs for Indiana. But there are also longer-range issues that require additional research and development. Working together with PHSI enables us to combine our expertise in development of new software and hardware solutions for use in the public safety arena, as well as a broad array of other endeavors.”

21CSI is among the charter tenants in the Purdue Technology Center of Northwest Indiana, which is designed to attract and incubate innovative technology businesses. The company is currently under contract to provide the Indiana National Guard’s Muscatatuck Urban Training Center (MUTC) with non-intrusive, persistent monitoring of the large, geographically diverse training site. Intelligent Distributed Command and Control (IDC2), as the system is known, is an extension of the company’s intelligent security system currently in use in the middle east for protecting national borders.