'Centers of excellence' to get $33 million in Homeland funding

The Homeland Security Department plans to give $33 million over three years to two new university "centers of excellence" to study security strategies for food and foreign animals, Homeland Security Undersecretary for Science and Technology Charles McQueary said Tuesday.

Texas A&M University will receive $18 million to study diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease, Rift Valley fever and avian influenza. Leading the project is Texas A&M Agriculture Bioterrorism Institute Director Neville Clarke.

A University of Minnesota team led by professor Francis Busta of the school's Food Science and Nutrition Department will be granted $15 million to "establish best practices and attract new researchers to manage and respond to food contamination events, both intentional and naturally occurring," according to a Homeland Security release.

"Research conducted at these institutions will greatly enhance our ability to protect against animal and plant pests and diseases and food pathogens," Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said in a press release.

Speaking at a conference on security badges and identification technology, McQueary also mentioned plans in coming weeks to seek proposals for explosives detectors that would be deployed to head off attacks on U.S. trucks and trains, and suicide bomb attacks generally. He added that there are plans to expand the presence of chemical detectors in the Washington subway system. Detectors are now present in several stations, he said.