Partnering Against Terrorism: Summary of a Workshop
Charles W. Wessner, Committee on Government-Industry Partnerships for the Development of New Technologies, National Research CouncilBooks.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
Terrorism and the measures needed to prevent terrorist attacks pose a central policy challenge for the U.S. To meet this unprecedented challenge, the U.S. has great technological assets. What is needed are mechanisms to help the government draw on these strengths in a timely and effective fashion. To do so, the government needs to reach out to university researchers, national laboratories, small, high-tech businesses and leading corporations. One of the most effective ways to do this is through public-private partnerships. To link the lessons of the National Academies study on “Government-Industry Partnerships” to this critical national interest, the Academy organized a conference to bring the lessons of its analysis to bear on the war on terror. By encouraging policy attention to examples of effective public-private partnerships (in particular, the need for clear goals and regular assessments), this report contributes to a better understanding of the potential partnerships to bring new security-enhancing technologies and equipment to the market in a cost-effective and timely manner.Synopsis
This book summarizes a major conference organized to bring the lessons of the Academy’s unprecedented analysis of Government-Industry Partnerships to bear on the war on terror. By encouraging policy attention to examples of effective partnerships (in particular, the need for clear goals and regular assessments), this book contributes to a better understanding of the potential of partnerships to bring new security-enhancing technologies and equipment to the market in a cost-effective and timely manner. Partnerships often involve innovation awards which act as a catalyst for small firms or for cooperation among large and small firms and universities to work together on innovative new technologies which are able to address the special challenge of global terrorism. The public–private cooperation reviewed in the conference has the potential to make government funding for security more effective, by leveraging the ingenuity of the private sector to meet the critical national mission of protecting our citizens from terrorism.