Rutgers Office for Research Announces Educational Partnering Agreement with U.S. Army Picatinny Arsenal

The Office for Research (OfR) announced a five-year Educational Partnering Agreement between Rutgers and the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center. This partnership supports collaborative research initiatives between principal investigators (PIs) at Rutgers and Armaments Center personnel in areas of mutual interest involving next-generation armaments and munitions technology.

The Educational Partnering Agreement will establish opportunities that advance the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) educational and research ambitions of Rutgers students and faculty through connections to staff expertise, facilities, and equipment of the Armaments Center, as well as workforce development opportunities.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Armaments Center at Picatinny Arsenal,” said Michael E. Zwick, senior vice president for research. “This agreement will benefit both Rutgers and Picatinny Arsenal organizations by promoting new research collaborations, student educational opportunities, and workforce development in topical areas of mutual strength and interest, and we believe that Rutgers researchers of all stages, from undergraduates to established faculty, will benefit.”

“This new agreement with the Armaments Center is an excellent illustration of the university’s commitment to building effective partnerships to address state and national needs,” said Francine Newsome Pfeiffer, senior vice president for government relations. “I am proud that the Rutgers Office of Federal Relations played a role in helping formalize this partnership and I look forward to the new educational, research, and workforce development collaborations that will emerge and contribute to our region’s growing innovation economy.”

Headquartered at Picatinny Arsenal, and with a 4,000-strong total workforce, the Armaments Center’s mission is to lead innovative research and lifecycle engineering of Armaments solutions as part of U.S. Army Futures Command. The Armaments Center also maintains key research, development, engineering facilities and capabilities at Watervliet Arsenal, NY, Rock Island, IL, and at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD.

In March 2021, the Rutgers Office of Federal Relations and the Research & Development Council of New Jersey co-hosted the New Jersey National Security Innovation Summit, which brought together industry, military, and academic stakeholders to collaborate on national security-related activities. Such collaborations have been championed by the state’s federal lawmakers present at the summit, including Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ-11), who serves on the House Armed Services Committee and represents Picatinny Arsenal in Congress.

“I applaud the leaders at Rutgers University and Picatinny Arsenal for their commitment to developing a partnership that will provide educational and job training opportunities for Rutgers students, expand world-class research for faculty, and bolster Picatinny Arsenal’s ability to lead as the Army’s premier research and development center for armaments and munitions. I look forward to working hand-in-hand with both Rutgers and Picatinny to support this important educational, economic, and national security initiative with robust federal resources,” said Rep. Sherrill.

Through this agreement, the Armaments Center can loan or transfer research equipment to Rutgers, and their researchers could assist with the development of courses and other educational programming for Rutgers students, who could receive experiential learning experiences that could potentially lead to career opportunities at the base.

The Office for Research will work with Rutgers researchers, academics, and other internal stakeholders to develop working groups in key areas of mutual interest and build strong communication channels with counterparts at the Armaments Center. It will facilitate convenings between Rutgers and Armament Center groups as appropriate and will gather progress and info on partnership metrics. The OfR will also continue to do the necessary functions such as contract review, compliance, sponsored research grants management, and tech transfer as applicable.

“The Office for Research is always looking for new and innovative ways to support our researchers and provide them with the tools they need to advance their incredible work. We feel this partnership will do just that,” said Marika Dunn, executive director of Research Relationships within the OfR.

“The Armaments Center is as knowledge-based organization with an enduring role in our national defense to deliver technologically superior capabilities to our warfighters,” said Chris Grassano, Armaments Center director. “As we enjoin in projects and research, people will emerge who will be our future, people who help us to stay engaged, stay cutting edge, and ultimately, meet our obligations to the nation and our warfighters. By building a pipeline of future leaders, this partnership will help to strengthen and sustain us as we pursue our critical national defense mission now and into the future.”

Through this agreement, areas of benefit may include, but are not limited to:

• Availability of relevant data and laboratory equipment
• Involvement of Rutgers researchers in Armaments Center research projects, or the co-development of such projects
• Involvement of Rutgers students in Armaments Center research projects through mechanisms such as internships or capstones
• Loan, transfer, or donation of select equipment from the Armaments Center
• Facilitation by Armaments Center personnel in the development or teaching of Rutgers courses/educational materials

This is not the first time the Army at Picatinny Arsenal has partnered with Rutgers, as the School of Engineering (SOE) has a historical relationship with the base, dating back to the 1940s when women pursued degrees from Rutgers while working at Picatinny during World War II. Most recently, SOE received a congressional earmark for a hypersonic wind tunnel joint project with Picatinny.