AUGUSTA – Maine will play host to a national conference on homeland security that will be chaired by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, whose Senate committee oversees the new Department of Homeland Security.

The conference will be held in Maine in August 2003 and will be organized by the Maine Science and Technology Foundation.

The event, which will bring national experts, leading technology companies and key administration officials to Maine, will focus on the research, development and deployment of technologies to improve homeland security. It will offer high-tech companies from Maine and around the country the opportunity to showcase their technologies and learn more about government research priorities and procurement processes.

“Technology innovation lies at the heart of our country’s ability to ensure homeland security. Our current security challenges call for renewed efforts to advance the frontiers of knowledge and tap our unmatched ability to innovate. This conference will highlight the advances in research and technology that are helping meet our homeland security needs as well as the possibilities for making greater strides in the future,” Collins said in a prepared statement.

Collins chairs the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, which oversees the new Department of Homeland Security.

“Maine is an ideal location for a national conference that focuses on the role of science and technology in homeland security,” said MSTF President Michael Ryan. “The state is home to a number of leading technology companies and research institutions that can make important contributions to homeland security initiatives. And Maine also faces geographic challenges – its long unguarded border with Canada and extensive coastline – that call for technology solutions for enhanced security.”