The University of South Florida (USF) has entered into a contract with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory (DEVCOM ARL), securing up to $85 million over five years for research in fields such as cybersecurity, biotechnology, and energy sciences.
This agreement expands on USF’s previous partnership with DEVCOM ARL, which began with an educational partnership signed last spring. The initiative brings together faculty from across the university to focus on defense-related research and student internship opportunities.
“The world-class faculty, staff and students at the University of South Florida will develop bold solutions that have a lasting impact not only on the defense sector and those who serve our country, but also on everyday life,” said USF President Rhea Law. “Their discoveries and innovations will help protect our soldiers, strengthen our infrastructure, secure our digital future and enhance the safety and security of all Americans.”
Patrick J. Baker, director of the ARL, commented: “This collaboration is an example of how the Army Research Laboratory brings together academia, industry and defense partners to operationalize science. It will provide another avenue for ARL to leverage scientific expertise, state-of-the-art facilities and established relationships to focus on the research the Army needs now and ensure we’re prepared in the future.”
The USF Institute of Applied Engineering is facilitating many projects under this contract. Faculty from the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing are leading initiatives in areas such as large language models and human performance. Other faculty involved include Nathan Gallant, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, who is working with USF alumnus John Cotter to study how soundwaves travel through tissue—a project aimed at understanding health risks posed by different decibel levels to military personnel.
“Our team is bringing expertise in biomaterials and acoustics together to protect our soldiers from the damaging effects of pressure waves. It is especially rewarding to do research that benefits those that sacrifice so much to protect us,” said Gallant.
Adam Rawlett, senior materials scientist for the Army, noted: “ARL will expand its access to science and engineering-driven research in a secure environment while we connect that work directly with service members across the Army and broader Department of Defense. The convergence of service member expertise with Army scientists at a major research university will be a game changer for the acceleration and implementation of future Army needs.”
The contract focuses on 16 core competencies including biological sciences, electromagnetic spectrum sciences, network security, smart cities technology, digital twins development, photonics, electronics, quantum sciences, weapons sciences, realistic urban RF environments like 5G capabilities among others.
Darren Schumacher, president and CEO for the USF Institute of Applied Engineering stated: “This is really the next stage of our growth. Our world just got a lot bigger.”
USF’s relationship with federal defense agencies continues to grow; it recently renewed an $85 million contract with U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base. More than 80 research projects have been funded through these partnerships so far—covering topics such as brain injuries in military members—and over 950 student internships have been supported.
Tony Lattanze serves as chief technology officer for USF’s Institute of Applied Engineering. He is overseeing multiple projects for DEVCOM ARL involving AI-based augmentation of human cognition—including tools that improve information quality during conversations by sensing behaviors in real time.
“We’re bringing state of the art intelligence, knowledge and capability quickly to the warfighter at the speed of need wherever the engagement occurs,” Lattanze said.
USF has conducted more than 100 Army-funded projects worth $150 million over two decades—developing technologies like autonomous control algorithms for unmanned aerial systems and advanced antenna technologies using machine learning algorithms.
Additionally, USF maintains an educational partnership agreement with MacDill Air Force Base where faculty use artificial intelligence to analyze political and economic factors relevant to military operations in regions such as the Middle East.
