UW-Madison may soon be home to a nationally funded lab jointly operated by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Homeland Security.

The lab would be “the nation’s preeminent laboratory for studies of foreign animal diseases and measures to prevent, contain and treat them,” according to a University Communications statement.

“Homeland Security Presidential Directive 9 identified the need for ‘safe, secure and state-of-the-art agriculture biocontainment laboratories that research and develop diagnostic capabilities for foreign animal and zoonotic diseases,’” according to the Department of Homeland Security’s website. “Although the Plum Island Animal Disease Center, owned and operated by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Agriculture, currently performs much of this research, at present there are no facilities in the United States that have adequate containment, security, equipment and infrastructure to meet the requirements identified in Presidential Directive 9,” the site read.

The facility, according to the Department of Homeland Security, will identify and combine aspects of public and animal health research considered key to national security, examine increasing bio-terrorism threats and foster cooperation between the Departments of Homeland Security, Agriculture and Health and Human Services, as they fulfill national defense security measures and tasks.

Wisconsin is one of 14 sites in the running for the facility’s location. University of California-Berkeley, University of Missouri and Texas A&M University are other collegiate locations vying for the facility.

A shorter list for lab locations will be announced in early 2007, with final selection of the location to be decided on in 2008.