Defense bill would send funding to schools like Central State, Wilberforce

HBCUs rarely get investments from the Department of Defense. In 2018, the Department of Defense invested more than $4.6 billion in science and engineering research into the nation’s higher education institutions. But less than half a percent of those funds, or about $21 million, was awarded to any HBCU, according to Brown’s office.

“There’s a largely untapped pool of talents, students and researchers and engineers at historically Black colleges and universities, including in our state,” Brown said.

The NDAA amendment would: establish a plan to evaluate the capabilities of HBCUs as grant institutions, build a grant program to build out HBCU research opportunities and increase partnerships between Department of Defense research centers and HBCUs.

Dr. Morakinyo Kuti, associate provost for research at Central State University, noted that Central State has produced about 10% of Ohio STEM Black graduates in the last five years. The increase in defense research dollars would help STEM graduates from HBCUs be more successful in the workplace, Kuti said.

“Students who conduct research at undergraduate and graduate levels are more successful to become engineers and to become mentors,” Kuti said.

Brown said the legislation would give the HBCUs who have not had these research contracts in the past a way to construct the infrastructure they would need to execute the contracts. The amendment was based on an act that Brown sponsored, though the amendment is less specific in how to accomplish getting more money to HBCUs than the act laid out.

“When the government gives a grant to other institutions of higher education, part of that grant is to maybe to do with the actual infrastructure, the labs, the equipment, the utilities, everything that is necessary to actually conduct the research,” Kuti said.

Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton also supported the amendment. Turner said the amendment would improve defense capabilities.

“The Department of Defense must invest in engineering, research, and developmental capability programs at minority institutions to continue to prepare for potential threats from our adversaries,” said Turner. “The inclusion of this initiative in the final defense budget will lead to critical advancements for our armed services, and I am eager to see the impact it has on our military.”