QinetiQ North America (LSE: QQ) announced that it is working with Brewer Science and Applied Systems Intelligence on a program to develop an autonomous, self-deploying sensor that will serve as a roving, early-warning detector of biological warfare activity.

The program is being funded by the U.S. Army Research Office. Work on the project will be performed primarily at the Jordan Valley Innovation Center (JVIC) at Missouri State University, Springfield, Mo., and the Waltham, Mass., office of QinetiQ North America’s Technology Solutions Group. All three companies involved in the project are members of JVIC.

Dr. Ryan Giedd, the executive director of JVIC, said, “The development of this mobile early-warning robot sensor in Springfield is a great opportunity for Missouri State, its students and our community. JVIC has now progressed to the point where we are value-adding to the most sophisticated of advanced technologies known while providing job opportunities in the near future for advanced manufacturing.”

The program is designed to meet a stated Department of Defense need for a tactical chemical and biological defense as well as an intelligent network that can communicate and direct sensors so they provide real-time notice of a threat.

Brewer Science, Rolla, Mo., will provide biological agent sensor elements based on carbon nanotechnology.

Applied Systems Intelligence (ASI), Alpharetta, Ga., will develop software to integrate sensing, detection, identification and alerts for the system.

QinetiQ North America will be responsible for building and qualifying the detector, integrating the systems and testing the sensor.

“This project will help create a new and advanced chemical and biological threat detection capability for the military and for homeland defense,” said JD Crouch, President of the QinetiQ North America’s Technology Solutions Group. “QinetiQ North America welcomes the opportunity to work with our partners and JVIC and use our best resources and talent to accomplish this project.”

About QinetiQ North America
QinetiQ North America delivers world-class technology and responsive solutions to government agencies and commercial customers for many of their most urgent and complex challenges. QinetiQ North America is an independent, innovative technology provider that earns over one billion dollars in revenue operating with small company speed and agility while leveraging significant global resources. More than 6,400 QinetiQ North America engineers, scientists and other professionals have the mission knowledge and proven, reliable performance to meet the rapidly changing demands of national defense, homeland security and information assurance customers. For more information, please visit http://www.QinetiQ-NA.com.

About JVIC
The mission of the Jordan Valley Innovation Center (JVIC) is to improve the translation of research from the laboratory to the end user by providing an environment for entrepreneurship to flourish among scientists through intellectual property incentives. In the life and materials sciences, corporate affiliates help provide the background business information needed to drive high-risk high-reward research toward application. For more information, please visit http://www.jvic.missouristate.edu.

About Brewer Science
Brewer Science delivers innovative material, process, and equipment solutions for various applications including nanotechnology, lithography, advanced packaging, MEMS, optoelectronics, and compound semiconductors. As the inventor of ARC® anti-reflective coating products for the microlithography world, Brewer Science continues to expand its scope with CNTRENE™ microelectronics-grade carbon nanotube solutions, ProTEK® temporary etch protective coatings, WaferBOND® temporary bonding materials, OptiNDEX™ high-refractive index coatings, and Cee® processing equipment. Please visit http://www.brewerscience.com for further information.

About Applied Systems Intelligence
ASI is a leading provider of cognitive technology used to develop highly advanced decision-aiding systems. ASI’s PreAct®-based Associate Systems harness the intelligence of world-class experts, enabling people with limited expertise to tap a vast body of knowledge and quickly deliver superior performance in highly demanding situations. The breakthrough PreAct® Software provides vast improvements over traditional artificial intelligence approaches and conventional software—in military, business and government domains. Please visit http://www.asinc.com for more information.