Virginia Tech’s National Security Institute signed a memorandum of understanding with the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) to create new opportunities for workforce development and the advancement of national security initiatives.
Virginia Tech is the first academic institution selected by IDA for collaboration.
IDA is a private, nonprofit corporation headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia that supports government sponsors on critical national security and science policy issues. Its current sponsors include the Departments of Defense, Commerce, Energy, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs and the National Security Agency. IDA also supports the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
“This collaboration agreement between two excellent institutions presents an exciting opportunity to build the next generation of national security leaders through education, experiential learning, and common understanding of the challenges we face as a country,” said Laura Freeman, deputy director of the Virginia Tech National Security Institute.
Through the memorandum, Virginia Tech researchers will engage with IDA staff to shape impactful research programs — leveraging their deep knowledge of the critical challenges. The institutes will utilize their combined facilities to advance areas of research including data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation.
