# Project EN2 — Enabling Investments (Applied Research)

**Program element:** 0602384BP — Chemical and Biological Defense Program  
**Project:** EN2  
**Component:** Defense-Wide  
**Appropriation:** 0400 — RDT&E, Defense-Wide  
**Budget Activity:** 2 — Applied Research  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602384BP/EN2  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602384BP

## Summary

Project EN2 — Enabling Investments (Applied Research) requests $1.5M in FY2027, 0.7% of the $207.2M requested for program element 0602384BP, down 92% on FY2026. 2 R-2A activities decompose the request.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 22.4 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 18.5 |
| FY2027 | Request | 1.5 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 1.5 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 1.5 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 1.5 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 1.5 |

> Estimate types are not summed. This project is one leaf of PE 0602384BP; the PE total is the sum of its projects, never added to them.

## What project EN2 buys

The Enabling Investments Applied Research Project focuses on characterization of safety/efficacy models and microphysiological models that mimic the human response to biological and chemical agents. This area also develops and provides infrastructure capabilities to conduct defensive classified Department of War (DoW) work in laboratories, the appropriate DoW workforce to execute Science & Technology (S&T) in high containment at various levels of classification, and executes a robust emerging biothreat portfolio to enable readiness for future incidents. Thrust Areas included in this Project are: (1) Biological Warfare Defense Prophylaxis - Comparing Models to Organ Tissue Equivalents (2) Enabling Science

## Activities (R-2A) — 2

| Activity | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | Move | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1) Biological Warfare Defense Prophylaxis - Comparing Models to Organ Tissue Equivalents | 2.5 | 2.5 | 1.5 | −40% | — |
| 2) Enabling Science | 20.0 | 16.0 | — | −100% | — |

> Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. In the request year they partition this project exactly; in earlier years they can under-cover it.

### 1) Biological Warfare Defense Prophylaxis - Comparing Models to Organ Tissue Equivalents

**FY2027 planned work.** - Progress evaluation of alternative safety/efficacy models against established models for validation and down select promising candidates for further scientific and technical advancement. - Continue assessment of alternative platforms for disease characterization capabilities. - Continue medical countermeasure (prophylaxis and therapeutics) evaluation using alternative platforms for efficacy and safety determination.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** Decrease due to divestment in alternative efficacy models for Nipah medical countermeasures.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** - Continue evaluation of alternative safety/efficacy models and compare to the accepted models for validation. - Continue evaluation of alternative platforms ability to mimic human response to biological threats. - Initiate evaluation of medical countermeasures (prophylaxis and therapeutics) using alternative platforms for efficacy and safety.

**FY2025 accomplishments.** - Initiated animal chip alternative models for medical countermeasure development and disease characterization - Initiated assessment of alternative efficacy models for representative chemical and biological agents to determine fitness for purpose - Initiated evaluation of microphysiological platforms' capacity to replicate human responses to biological threats for disease characterization - Initiated viral disease on-chip program for medical countermeasure evaluation • Initiated multi-organ models for host-pathogen response and immunity research

### 2) Enabling Science

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** Program/project is entering completion and all activities will be closed.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** - Complete assessments of policy, processes, personnel, and infrastructure/facilities to conduct defensive CBDP work in biosafety laboratories. - Implement, develop protocols, and execute defensive science and technology (S&T) biothreat characterization work for the full spectrum of agents to augment chemical and biological (CB) defense at various classification levels.

**FY2025 accomplishments.** - Conducted an initial analysis of alternatives to assess policy and laboratory requirements to adhere to security standards as promulgated and/or mitigated by Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). - Doubled the enterprise’s biothreat characterization capabilities. Implemented and developed protocols to execute S&T biothreat characterization work that can be performed at various classification levels.

## What is NOT on this page

Congressional marks, the R-2 mission description and acquisition strategy, the industry vs government split of the whole request, and related program elements are recorded at **program-element** grain — an NDAA mark lands on a PE, never on a project. They are at https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602384BP.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Office of the Secretary of Defense RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-2A/R-3, PE 0602384BP project EN2 (PB PB2027).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0602384BP")`.

*HitchAI is an independent intelligence service, not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense. Budget figures are requests/estimates, not obligations.*