Mission

The Transformational & Applied Research Directorate develops break-through technologies that will have a dramatic impact on capabilities to detect nuclear threats through an aggressive and expedited research and development (R&D) program.

Objectives

• Addresses gaps in the Global Nuclear Detection Architecture (GNDA)
• Improves performance, cost, and operational burden of detectors and systems
• Includes industry, national laboratories and academia
• Coordinates with intra/interagency R&D organizations
• Transistions successful technologies to system development, acquisition, and deployment or commercialization

Organization

The Transformational & Applied Research Directorate consists of technical staff focusing in these areas:

Exploratory Research Program (ERP)

• Research driven by identified gaps in the GNDA.
• Investigations to show feasibility through Proof of Concept demonstrations.

Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR)

• Utilize small businesses to meet R&D needs and increase private sector commercialization.

Academic Research Initiative (ARI)

• Partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund academic exploratory and basic research to stimulate many radiation detection sectors.
• TAR funded academic projects will help create the next generation of scientists and engineers needed to advance the field of radiation detection.

Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD)

• Program builds on technology concepts previously demonstrated under the Exploratory Research Program (ERP) or equivalent.
• Develop and characterize technology in a simulated operational environment to generate performance data for cost-benefit decision to transition to commercial system development and acquisition.