Chapter V. Basic Research
Army Science and Technology Master Plan (ASTMP 1997)

3. Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions Program (HBCU/MI)

The Army Materiel Command (AMC) has set the pace for the DoD in programs for historically Black colleges and universities and minority institutions (HBCUs/MIs), which share the goal of strengthening the nation's HBCUs/MIs and enhancing their ability to prepare minority students for the future, highly competitive science- and technology-oriented marketplace.

AMC's broadly based program spans all of its laboratories and RDECs and includes a wide variety of initiatives. It includes programs for single investigator research, collaborative research, COEs, cooperative programs, and educational partnership agreements. In addition, the Army Research Office manages the DoD Infrastructure Support Program for HBCU/MI. This special program received approximately $15 million annually FY92­FY94, $21 million in FY95, and $13.5 million in FY96. To date, four Broad Agency Announcements involving Army, Navy, Air Force, and DARPA have been issued by ARO. The Services have awarded some $76 million to HBCUs and MIs to support unique and innovative programs, including, for example, educational enhancements, research grants, collaborative research programs, instrumentation enhancements, and technical assistance. The Army's portion of the program, awarded by ARO grants, totals over $30 million. All of the DoD Infrastructure Support Programs seek to enhance programs and capabilities at HBCU/MIs with the goal of increasing the number of underrepresented minority graduates in the fields of science, mathematics, and engineering. See Chapter VII, Section C.2, for additional information on support of HBCUs/MIs.