The DHS Centers of Excellence Summit was held the week of May 17-21, 2021. In a completely virtual format, the summit had a record number of registrants (over 1,200) including government, law enforcement at all levels, academia, and 65 different industry representatives, 61 speakers to include Secretary Mayorkas, 20 showcase booths, and 135 students from 51 different colleges and universities. Such an event does not happen without tremendous effort and cooperation across multiple entities, and the COEs worked closely with DHS, our collective partners, and the CINA summit team to develop and produce an agenda loaded with experts and timely information, successfully pushing the limits of what can be done in a virtual environment, and in so doing we engaged with a larger, more diverse, and more dispersed audience than ever before. Thank you to all who supported and attended the summit, and we look forward to continuing to collaborate and meet the challenges to come.
As many of you know, the DHS Centers of Excellence have staggered life cycles dating back to 2002, and the CINA Center will soon enter its fifth year of operation. We are proud of everything we have accomplished in the first four years, but we are even more excited about the years to come. We are moving into the new program year with a robust and growing research portfolio of more than 20 projects, our workforce development efforts continue to grow, and we are very pleased to continue working with research teams this summer and to resume our MSI week activities this August. Our accomplishments of the past, and our high expectations for the future are the product of a dedicated and highly capable team at CINA, working closely with the DHS Office of University Programs, multiple DHS components, academic institutions, and industry partners, all of whom are professionals who give generously of their time and expertise in pursuit of a safer world for all.