MRI Wins $35.5M Delivery Order From U.S. Army for Design and Installation of Maryland Testing System

Aberdeen Test System installation will support the protection of military personnel against a variety of chemical threats

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Nov. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Midwest Research Institute (MRI), with more than 65-years of experience in scientific/engineering technical services, has been awarded a $35,500,000 Delivery Order under MRI's contract with the U.S. Army.  Through the course of the 41-month contract, MRI will provide the Joint Program Manager for Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Contamination Avoidance PDTESS (Product Director Test Equipment, Strategy and Support) with final design, equipment and materials testing, and installation of a Test System at the United States Army Research, Development and Engineering Command located at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.  

MRI engineers and scientists, supported by a team of five specialized subcontractors, will lead the effort to finalize the design of the Test System, obtain permits, test materials for compatibility with the chemical threats, evaluate detection technologies to be used within the high containment chambers and integrate the design, materials and technologies in the Test System.  

When completed in late 2013, the Test System will support military personnel protection through the development and testing of contamination avoidance, individual protection, collective protection, decontamination and detection technologies against a variety of chemical threats.  

"Once again, the talent and skill of the people of Kansas City and MRI are being called upon to perform critical work for our military," said Congressman Emanuel Cleaver. "This award is good news for our community and for the exceptional employees at MRI. More than that, it is great news for our men and women in uniform. As a result of this award, some of the very best minds in the nation will be at work helping to ensure the safety of our nation as a whole and specifically our loved ones serving in harm's way. This is a well deserved recognition for MRI."

"MRI is honored to be chosen to lead this important project," said MRI Senior Vice President and Director of Research Operations Thomas M. Sack, Ph.D.  "With more than 50 years of chemical experience with DoD and more than a decade of experience in testing the chemicals this facility is being designed to test, we are proud to assist in ensuring the safety of our homeland and the men and women who defend it."

About Midwest Research Institute

Midwest Research Institute (MRI), a not-for-profit scientific/engineering organization with nearly 2,800 employees under management nationwide, performs scientific research and engineering technical services for clients in government, industry, and academia.  Established in 1944, MRI conducts technical services in the areas of national security and defense, energy and environment, life sciences, food and agriculture, and transportation safety.  With headquarters in Kansas City, Mo., MRI also has operations in Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia.

MRI is one of two partners in the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC, which manages and operates the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colo., for the U.S. Department of Energy.  

For more information, visit www.mriresearch.org.

SOURCE Midwest Research Institute