Celebrating A Decade

Trusted national security Problem Solvers Who deliver

Ten years ago, United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) made an important executive decision — to be the first Combatant Command to charter a University Affiliated Research Center (UARC), designated by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (OASD). This monumental decision reflected USSTRATCOM’s intent to access and support cutting edge research capabilities at an academic institution to meet its mission priorities as well as national priorities.

After a rigorous review process, the Department of Defense (DOD) selected the University of Nebraska System (NU) as the 13th UARC, this one sponsored by USSTRATCOM. To engage its bench of more than 5,000 faculty members and 51,000 students across four campuses toward USSTRATCOM’s objectives, NU created a non-profit subsidiary — the National Strategic Research Institute (NSRI).

Read the October 12, 2012 announcement release

Milestones

Impact

NSRI's Mission: Enable deterrence of, preparedness for and response to strategic national security threats across multiple domains through research and support.

147

Contracts awarded to NSRI

48

Sponsoring agencies

$207.5M

Total award value for research contracts

44

University principal investigators

2022 UARC Impact Synopsis

Leveraging Four Campuses

With access to 5,000 faculty members and 51,000 students, NSRI leverages capabilities, capacity, technology and facilities from each of the University of Nebraska System's four campuses. Click below to see highlights of how each campus contributes.

University of Nebraska at Kearney

University of Nebraska at Omaha

University of Nebraska–Lincoln

University of Nebraska Medical Center

Building Upon a Foundation of Trust

As a UARC, NSRI and NU serve as trusted agents to the federal government. This trust continues to build over time. Several agencies have returned to NSRI and NU for critical mission deliverables. In total, NSRI and NU have delivered products and solutions to 48 sponsoring agencies.

Pictured: NU President Ted Carter announces the third IDIQ contract from U.S. Strategic Command in September 2020. The contract renewed NSRI's UARC designation through 2025.

Trusted: Read More

Convening Problem Solvers for Innovative Solutions

NSRI is the only UARC to access four campuses for capabilities and expertise. Hundreds of researchers and students have collaborated and contributed their time, talent and foresight to challenges within the mission spaces of strategic deterrence and countering weapons of mass destruction (CWMD).

Pictured: NSRI Fellows listening to keynote address provided by USSTRATCOM leadership at the annual Fellows Conference in April 2022.

Problem Solvers: Read More

Delivering Solutions into the Hands of End Users

To make an impact, NSRI and NU solutions must end up in the hands of active-duty military operators, first responders and defense decision makers. On this promise, we have delivered, and we are committed to doing so for decades to come.

Pictured: Daniel Polanski, NSRI deputy director for field operations and training, tests a compressed oxygen containment and torch system developed by NSRI and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln for an operational command.