SAIC to Collaborate with UK Biometrics Institute

SAN DIEGO and MCLEAN, Va., — Science Applications International Corporation today announced that it signed an agreement with the University of Kent on behalf of the United Kingdom Biometrics Institute (UKBI) to collaborate on biometric and identity projects.

Fostered by efforts of the UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), the agreement aims to maximize cooperation from academia, industry and government in collaborative research and development. One facet of the agreement establishes an SAIC student sponsorship program to help enhance students’ professional skill sets in the increasingly important area of biometrics.

“This program demonstrates SAIC’s commitment to working with academia and the government to bring science to solutions quickly,” said John Christensen, SAIC business development. “With this agreement, we’re reaching back to our scientific roots to help mentor the next generation of scientist in the UK.”

As part of the sponsorship program, the team will establish the ‘SAIC University Challenge,’ a contest designed to encourage bold and innovative biometric ideas. During the contest, teams from UKBI universities will develop product ideas, form virtual companies and compete against each other for an award.

“This challenge will encourage university students to work with industry to adopt innovative and creative solutions, solve complex problems, think strategically and use project management skills,” said Carole Barron, director of Enterprise at the University of Kent. “It will help position these students to pursue careers in the biometrics and leverage their abilities to help solve some of the world’s most complex problems.”

Andrew Cahn, chief executive of UK Trade & Investment, said, “I am delighted that SAIC and the UK Biometrics Institute have formed such an effective relationship resulting from introductions made by UKTI. The SAIC University Challenge is a pragmatic initiative to help develop the next generation of industry-ready students from UK universities. UK Trade & Investment works to foster collaborations of this kind in key sectors worldwide.”

About UKBI

Initiated by the Department of Electronics at the University of Kent and supported by Kent Enterprise, UKBI aims to enhance the productive exchange of knowledge and expertise in the UK across all stakeholders (including University researchers, the biometrics industrial sector, government agencies and potential end-users) and to provide leading-edge solutions to emerging and future market needs. Its members include the University of Kent, the International Association for Biometrics, the Security Knowledge Innovation Network, Cranfield University, and the European Biometrics Forum. http://www.kent.ac.uk/enterprise/expert/ukbi.php

About UKTI

UK Trade & Investment is the Government’s international business development organisation, supporting businesses seeking to establish in the UK and helping UK companies grow internationally. The services offered by UK Trade & Investment bring together a network of business sector specialists and support teams in British embassies and Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO) posts all around the world, as well as key experts in government departments across the UK. http://www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk

About SAIC

SAIC is a leading provider of scientific, engineering, systems integration and technical services and solutions to all branches of the U.S. military, agencies of the Department of Defense, the intelligence community, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other U.S. Government civil agencies, as well as to customers in selected commercial markets. With more than 44,000 employees in over 150 cities worldwide, SAIC engineers and scientists solve complex technical challenges requiring innovative solutions for customers’ mission-critical functions. SAIC had annual revenues of $8.3 billion for its fiscal year ended January 31, 2007. http://www.saic.com