FAA awards $2.7 million for emergency response drone research

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Universities around the United States are researching drone implementations in emergency response and disaster preparedness with the aid of $2.7 million in security research grants from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

"Every second counts in an emergency, and this funding will allow drones to safely and more quickly deploy in moments when minutes matter," said Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen.

The research will explore the use of drones in providing effective and efficient responses to different natural and human-made disasters. It will address coordination procedures among drone operators from federal agencies as well as state and local disaster preparedness and emergency response organizations. The five universities and their award amounts are:

University of Vermont — $1,195,000
University of Alabama Huntsville — $828,070
New Mexico State University — $400,000
North Carolina State University — $200,000
Kansas State University — $145,000

Research efforts may build upon previous and new projects at the institutions, such as the University of Vermont's drone training programs and tests at the unmanned aerial system (UAS) test site at New Mexico State University.

ON DEMAND: Business-impacting events such as severe weather, man-made disasters, and supply chain disruption are increasing in frequency and making impacts around the globe.

In today's rapidly evolving security landscape, organizations face an ever-growing array of disruptive events, security threats and risks. Traditional reactive approaches to security intelligence often leave businesses vulnerable and ill-prepared to anticipate and mitigate emerging threats that could impact the safety of their people, facilities or operations.