NC Consortium for the NBAF Remains Under DHS Consideration
A North Carolina consortium, organized in part by North Carolina State University, is one of five consortia the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is still considering for locating the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF), a federal research center that would address national public and animal health interests.
The North Carolina Consortium for the NBAF—a partnership of universities, government agencies, and private sector partners—joins consortia representing Texas-San Antonio, Georgia, Mississippi, and Kansas on the list. The DHS is managing the site selection process for two other federal agencies that will work with the DHS in the NBAF: the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“NBAF represents an exciting opportunity for consortium partners and the numerous North Carolina publics they serve,” said NC State’s College of Veterinary Medicine Dean Warwick Arden. “The expected scientific, academic, economic, and public and animal health advances NBAF represents will be a boon to the state. We are pleased that North Carolina remains a potential location for the NBAF and that the CVM has been able to contribute to and support the state’s desire to attract the facility.”
According to DVM News Magazine, the NC State CVM is the only DVM program in the country to lead a consortium bid for the NBAF. The CVM, through the efforts of Drs. Barrett Slenning and Prema Arasu, developed the initial “statement of interest” to meet a March 2006 DHS deadline. Since then the College prepared and coordinated the requested support documentation, helped organize consortium partners, and assisted in the coordination of last June’s site visit by DHS officials.
DHS plans call for the $450 million, 520,000 square-foot NBAF to be a integrated human and animal disease research center with diagnostic, development, and testing capabilities designed to protect animal and public health against emerging zoonotic agents (diseases shared between animals and humans) and foreign disease threats. Scientists and technicians would engage in research and development for diagnostic tests, therapies, vaccines, and other mitigation technologies.
In discussing the NCC NBAF proposal, Dean Arden said North Carolina not only meets the criteria established by the DHS, but the state also possesses “unique leadership strengths” in the areas of biomedical, plant and animal agricultural enterprises, and premier science and technology parks. “The NBAF would attract some of the leading animal and leading human infectious disease scientists to the region,” says Arden.
Pertinent CVM expertise includes leadership gained through collaborative work with various animal and public health organizations such as the Agriculture Disaster Research Institute, the Animal Biosecurity Risk Management Group, Food Animal Residue Avoidance Database (FARAD), the USDA Food Safety Research and Response Network, and various CVM biomedical and animal disease research projects including the activities of the Center for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research.
The next step in the selection process involves the preparation an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) as outlined by the DHS. The EIS will analyze a range of issues involved in constructing and operating the NBAF and will include informational meetings in each community to solicit further public input. These activities are scheduled to conclude by October 2008 at which time DHS is expected to announce the final site selection.
For more information, visit the North Carolina Consortium Web site.