According to an Air Force release, the agency is also soliciting HBCU schools with high-research activity ratings to apply. The new research center will focus on tactical autonomy. The Air Force and Department of Defense secured $12 million annually for five years to fund the center’s research, faculty, and students.
“Historically Black Colleges and Universities graduate 30% of Black Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics professionals in the United States, but receive less than .05% of Department of Defense research funding,” said Dr. Victoria Coleman, chief scientist of the Air Force.