Technological breakthroughs that advance safety and societal wellbeing require sustained effort. The fundamental research revealing nature's properties and validating scientific theories demands years of dedicated study. Yet emerging biological and chemical threats necessitate faster responses than traditional research timelines allow. While major scientific discoveries cannot be rushed, specialized expert teams can rapidly develop defensive solutions when circumstances demand immediate action.
That’s why NSRI’s Space Coast Field Office & Laboratory exists.
Located close to Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral, the facility was constructed with the goal of providing resources to quickly respond to the biological and chemical defense research needs of nearby U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) customers.
"We have better, more frequent interaction with our DOD customers when we’re performing work in their backyard, as opposed to doing that work remotely in far-off states,” said David Roberts, NSRI research director for special programs and a key member of the facility’s staff. “A lot of customers are very hands-on, and putting the facility here, close to where they’re located, means they can see actual progress being made and get fast results."
About NSRI Space Coast
NSRI Space Coast is a lightweight, flexible facility that specializes in biology and chemistry defense research, in addition to housing some engineering capacity. Built in Melbourne, Florida, in 2020, the facility has efficiently contributed to a number of DOD projects, most recently serving as the hub for a $50 million indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract vehicle with a DOD agency.
Given continued high demand since it was constructed, the facility launched a significant expansion in 2024 to add additional lab space focused on next-generation sequencing. The new space will operate at a biosafety level of 2, allowing the team to safely perform sequencing on pathogenic organisms. The lab includes a Gyros PurePep Chorus Multi-Channel Peptide Synthesizer to evaluate and design synthesized proteins.
The real advantage of NSRI Space Coast, Roberts said, is that its proximity to DOD customers allows the customers to get more involved in projects and researchers to better understand customer needs.
"A lot of research done in labs does not translate easily to the field," he explained. "You can’t always put a 20-ton centrifuge on a plane and fly it where it needs to be. Our lab is lightweight by design so the work we do can be translated directly to the end user in the field."
Very often, NSRI Space Coast’s customers are those end users, and the lab’s research results go directly into the hands of front-line operators. These operators take prototype equipment into the field where they know they will experience problems during practical use of the equipment.
"We’ve been very successful supporting our customers with whatever crazy ideas they come up with," Roberts said. "We’re never sure what the next project is going to be, and that makes it fun. We’ve worked with bugs, animals, bacteria and viruses. We’ve been able to work with all kinds of people and all kinds of devices."
