UW–Madison and U.S. Army ERDC Launch Strategic Education Partnership to Accelerate National Security Research
The University of Wisconsin–Madison’s new Education Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), marks a significant expansion of the university’s growing national security research portfolio and federal defense collaborations.
The agreement, signed Feb. 11, establishes a formal framework for cooperative education, research and workforce development activities between UW–Madison and ERDC. The partnership creates new pathways for faculty and students to work directly with one of the U.S. Army’s premier research organizations.
“This agreement reflects UW–Madison’s commitment to advancing cutting-edge research that strengthens national security while educating the next generation of scientific and engineering leaders,” says Dorota Grejner-Brzezińska, UW–Madison vice chancellor for research. “We are proud to expand our collaboration with ERDC and deepen our engagement with the nation’s national security research enterprise.”
The agreement establishes a broad framework for collaboration across key disciplines, including:
- Coastal and hydraulic engineering
- Cold regions science and engineering
- Environmental science and engineering
- Geospatial and remote sensing science
- Geotechnical and structural engineering
- Information and digital modeling technologies
- Computer science
- Economics and technology transfer
Under the agreement, ERDC may provide laboratory equipment, offer sabbatical and internship opportunities, involve UW–Madison faculty and students in national security research projects, and support cooperative research initiatives.
UW–Madison, in turn, will collaborate on research of mutual interest, integrate research opportunities into academic programs, and promote student participation in ERDC initiatives. The partnership enables structured engagement between laboratory personnel and university classrooms, strengthening the pipeline between defense research and academic training.
“We are very excited to partner with UW–Madison,” said ERDC Director Dr. Beth Fleming. “ERDC is committed to helping foster the next generation of scientists and engineers, and this agreement broadens our ability to strengthen our connection while providing opportunities for advanced research.”
The first UW–Madison faculty member to interface with the ERDC under the agreement is Mohit Gupta, associate professor in the Department of Computer Sciences and director of the WISIONLab (Wisconsin Imaging and VisionLab). Gupta’s research focuses on computational imaging, advanced sensing and computer vision systems — areas that align closely with ERDC’s geospatial, environmental, and digital modeling priorities. Under the partnership framework, his team will collaborate with ERDC researchers on next-generation capabilities relevant to Army missions.
“This partnership allows us to translate fundamental advances in imaging science into real-world impact,” Gupta says. “Working with ERDC provides a direct pathway to transition research from the lab to operational environments.”
The EPA builds on UW–Madison’s expanding national security research and initiatives. In recent years, the university has formalized collaborations with federal partners across cyber, geospatial, environmental resilience, and advanced computing domains.
For UW–Madison, the agreement reflects a deliberate and accelerating strategy: building durable federal partnerships, advancing research that addresses national priorities, and ensuring that students graduate with experience solving real-world challenges.
As Gupta’s work begins, additional research across engineering, environmental science, computer science, and geospatial domains will follow — further solidifying UW–Madison’s role as a trusted partner in advancing science and technology for national security.
About ERDC
The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) helps solve our nation’s most challenging problems in civil and military engineering, geospatial sciences, water resources, and environmental sciences for the Army, Department of Defense, civilian agencies, and our Nation’s public good. Our vision is to become the world’s premier public engineering and environmental sciences research and development organization.
As one of the most diverse engineering and scientific research organizations in the world, ERDC conducts research and development in support of the Soldier, military installations, and the Corps of Engineers’ civil works mission, as well as for other federal agencies, state and municipal authorities, and with U.S. industries through innovative work agreements. ERDC operates more than $2 billion in world class facilities at seven labs located in four states with more than 2,600 employees to administer an annual research program exceeding $2 billion.
More information:
Contact: Dave Schroeder, Director of National Security Initiatives, dave.schroeder@wisc.edu