Last night, Congressman Michael Burgess secured $4 million for Advanced Research and Technology Initiative (ARTI) at the University of North Texas in Denton. The funding comes from the final conference report for fiscal year 2007 Department of Defense (DoD) Appropriations passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and to be passed by the U.S. Senate later this week.

The University of North Texas’s ARTI, formerly known as the Center for Advanced Research and Technology, is a research facility in microelectronics, optoelectronics, sensors, energy and informatics.

The relationship between UNT and DoD is already producing concrete results. For example, ARTI faculty developed advanced, flexible, nanocomposite environmental barrier materials for integration into flexible displays. The staff is also working on a variety of other technologies to enhance the lethality and survivability of the United States’ war fighter. These include autonomous sensor arrays for non line-of-sight targeting in urban environments, large area multi-wavelength flexible emitters for use as phototherapy bandages, non-linear optical materials for infrared imaging and 3D photonic crystals for next generation high energy batteries.

“With passage of the conference report, the funding takes us one step closer to finishing the funding needs of ARTI,” said Congressman Michael Burgess. “This is a substantial win for North Texas, for Denton and certainly for UNT.”

The University’s goal is to provide the capabilities necessary to satisfy the growing technological and engineering needs of the North Texas region and for the talented faculty to advance research on projects of national importance associated with nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is the link to better products from stain-resistant pants and improved optics to creating lighter-weight, but strong security vests for our soldiers.

“I want to thank Senator Hutchison for supporting my efforts to secure this new funding for The University of North Texas, said Congressman Michael Burgess. “The advancements from UNT’s ARTI brings technology into our everyday lives and greatly improves the security of our nation.”

The funding will allow the partnership between DoD and UNT to complete ARTI infrastructural development and finalize it’s mission of becoming a regional and national defense research and development force. The facilities are multi-user in nature allowing ARTI to form an “umbrella” of capabilities for faculty researchers in order for them to pursue competitive research support in interdisciplinary areas of expertise in areas vital to national security. The ARTI facility serves as a focal point for basic and applied research and is the first high-tech, entrepreneurial research and development park in Denton County, one of the fastest growing communities in the United States.

The fiscal year 2007 Department of Defense Appropriations conference report will now go through the Senate for a vote later this week.

H.R. 5631, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2007, will provide the following:

Overall Budgetary Highlights: $447.6 billions

• Military Personnel - $86.4 billion (becomes a 2.2 percent pay raise for personnel)
• Operation and Maintenance - $119.8 billion
• Procurement - $80.9 billion
• Research, Development, Test and Evaluation - $75.7 billion
• Emergency Funding for repairs/replacement of Nation Guard equipment - $290 million
• Emergency Wartime Appropriations and repairs/replacement of equipment - $70 billion