DHS Releases First-Ever Innovation, Research, Development Strategic Plan

The Department of Homeland Security has unveiled its inaugural Innovation, Research and Development Strategic Plan aimed at guiding the department’s investments over the next seven fiscal years.

The IRD Strategic Plan, crafted by the DHS Science and Technology Directorate and directed by Defense Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, seeks to optimize research and development to address evolving homeland security challenges, the DHS said.

Developed following a comprehensive review of the DHS’s R&D efforts, the plan aims to streamline departmental research activities, establish a framework for coordinated investments and foster collaboration with external partners.

The plan identifies eight key strategic priority research areas that will guide DHS’s future research endeavor, encompassing emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, cybersecurity and climate change.

Each SPRA will have its own investment roadmap, outlining specific research goals and informing the DHS’s budget allocations from fiscal 2027 onwards. The SPRAs are also expected to provide partnership opportunities for industry, academia and international organizations.

Dimitri Kusnezov, the DHS’s undersecretary for science and technology, emphasized the plan’s role in optimizing IRD investments to better equip frontline personnel and enhance preparedness and response capabilities.