The $1.95 million grant will be led by principal investigator John J. Farmer, Jr., a professor in Rutgers School of Law-Newark, reports Rutgers Today.
As New Jersey's attorney general, Farmer led the state's response to the 9/11 attacks and served as senior counsel on the 9/11 Commission.
“As recent events have shown, the need for reliable, legally obtained intelligence has never been more acute,” Farmer said. “The designation and grant will enable Rutgers to build on the expertise that already exists at the university to shape intelligence policy and to educate and train the next generation of intelligence professionals.”
The grant authorizes the creation of the Intelligence Community Center of Academic Excellence, which will become part of the Rutgers Institute for Emergency Preparedness and Homeland Security. Rutgers University President Robert Barchi said that the program will incorporate expertise in fields ranging from mathematics and engineering to criminal justice, medicine and the law.
Among the initial projects at the institute is the Faith-Based Security Program, which examines how exremist violence poses threats to communities of faith. In the wake of terrorist attacks in Paris and Copenhagen, Rutgers teams worked with community leaders in those cities, as well as in Washington, to assess threats and recommend best practices in law enforcement.
Read the full Rutgers Today story here.