On March 14, I had the pleasure of welcoming CINA’s stakeholders to our annual meeting. As usual, it was an opportunity for researchers from across the country to meet up and share their findings. This year, however, our theme was “Evolve,” and the format focused on communicating research to government and industry with the goal of transitioning research to ensure its impact and sustainability.
This past year, 2023-2024, has been a great one for CINA. We are managing the largest research portfolio in our history, with 24 active projects. We have expanded our already broad and diverse consortium to 52 universities, 20 of which are Minority-Serving Institutions, and 4 of which are in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
To support this growth, CINA’s team expanded to include two professional Project Managers, an Education and Workforce Development Lead, and an Impact and Transition Manager. CINA is now better prepared to provide our researchers professional pre- and post-award management, as well as to spot, develop, and transition mission-relevant technology and knowledge for our sponsors in the Homeland Security Enterprise.
The upcoming year, 2024-2025, will be year eight of CINA’s ten-year cooperative agreement with the Department of Homeland Security. So, “Evolve” also describes a shift in emphasis to ensure CINA’s sustainability after it becomes an emeritus Center of Excellence. The CINA team and George Mason University are committed to building on the value we’ve created jointly with our researchers and sponsors.
To do this, CINA will be foregrounding its longstanding mandate to counter Transnational Organized Crime (CTOC) as the problem that our signature techniques of criminal investigation and network analysis aim to solve. This puts CINA on a firm footing to support DHS and other Federal agencies that are implementing the U.S. Government’s CTOC strategy as outlined in Executive Order 14060. CINA’s Project Managers, Jamie Lee and Elizabeth Newman, will be working with all of our researchers to articulate a clear and compelling nexus to the CTOC mission.
At the same time, CINA is stepping up as a convener, connector, and facilitator for technology and knowledge transition. Our Transition and Impact Manager, Stephen Self, will be reaching out to all our researchers with opportunities to get their work in front of potential sponsors in government and industry. Basic research also results in knowledge products that can be transitioned in the form of briefings, curricula, or training materials; Joe Rogers, our Education and Workforce Development Lead, will be helping researchers find the right audience and format for this work.
As I told our guests on March 14, we use the word “impact” so often that it is easy to lose sight of what it means: change. An impact is simply the change that results from our efforts. We welcome your ideas and participation to help CINA better serve its stakeholders and evolve into the nation’s premier research consortium on countering Transnational Organized Crime.