A New Spy Agency Asks Academics For Help In Meeting Its Mission

摘要

One year ago, applied physicist Lisa Porter took over a new government agency charged with developing the next generation of spycraft technologies. In a rare interview, Porter, the director of the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Agency (IARPA), discussed the agency's progress and plans with Science. Temporarily housed with the Center for Advanced Study of Language at the University of Maryland, College Park, IARPA expects by the end of the year to move into its own building on campus and double its size to 30 program managers. The academic location is no accident: The agency wants to build strong ties with academia through a continuing flow of grant solicitations. "The intelligence community likes to keep its business in the family-Lisa is trying to go beyond," says Steve Nixon, former director for science and technology within the office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), which was created in 2004 and oversees IARPA.