On Friday November 22nd, UVA’s new National Security Data and Policy Institute was inaugurated to great fanfare with a ribbon cutting ceremony in the Rotunda’s Dome Room. The new institute has come from a $20 million grant from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (“ODNI”) for the purpose of developing new research methods to combine data and national security policy. UVA has received a unique advantage in leading this new effort, the first of its kind in the nation.
Beginning at 10 a.m., a steady stream of distinguished guests took their seats at the event. Among those in attendance were many from the ODNI and a number of intelligence agencies, officials and staff from UVA (including many who will be involved in the new institute), and a number of faculty and students.
In the four chairs at the head of the room sat the Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines, Virginia Senator Mark Warner, UVA President Jim Ryan, and Professor Philip Potter of the Batten School. Professor Potter, who is the director of the new Data and Policy Institute, was the first to speak. His optimism for the new project was matched by all of the other speakers, given the importance and novelty of integrating data science into intelligence policymaking. President Ryan spoke next, thanking the many partners who had pushed for the grant and new institute, and their tireless efforts which made the focus of the ceremony possible in the first place.
Senator Warner praised the University of Virginia for being the driving force behind choosing the site of the institute. As mentioned throughout the day, UVA’s distance from Washington D.C. has made it a major part of the Intelligence Community (IC). Far enough to avoid beltway politics but near enough to attract talent interested in the IC and IC investment, it is hard not to find UVA alumni when working in national security.
Senator Warner also discussed the importance of the institute in the complex and challenging current geopolitical environment, and especially with the rise of China. Hedging his opposition only to the CCP and not the Chinese people more broadly, Senator Warner hammered in the importance of data, with the theft of intellectual property and the prominence of Chinese telecommunications companies, namely Huawei, providing a strong impetus for the United States to develop new and disruptive data solutions for these national security challenges.
Director of National Intelligence Haines, who oversees the entire Intelligence Community (including the CIA, FBI, and many more) focused on the importance of UVA’s talent and reputation as a pool of talent and excellence. The new institute will work with her office (the ODNI) to research and provide solutions, making the Director especially important for the new institute.
Finally, the ceremony ended with the four speakers cutting the ribbon at the front of their platform, and ushering in a new and valuable center of research for UVA. The resources and opportunities this new institute will provide for students and faculty here will be seen in the coming years, as will the potential of future investment as UVA takes a more substantial position in national security research.
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