First US DHS Contract for Biosecurity for $5.9m

26 October 2023

Kromek Group plc 

("Kromek" or the "Group") 

First US Department of Homeland Security Contract for Biosecurity

Award of $5.9m contract from US Government

Kromek Group plc (AIM: KMK), a leading developer of radiation and bio-detection technology solutions for the advanced imaging and CBRN detection segments, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a $5.9m contract from the US Department of Homeland Security ("DHS") Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction ("CWMD") Office for the research and development of technologies focusing on an agent agnostic bio-detection system. The contract has been awarded under a four-year programme, which commences immediately, and the Group expects to receive $874k during the first year base period.

Arnab Basu, CEO of Kromek Group, said: "We are pleased to have been awarded this new contract for the research and development of agent agnostic biosecurity technologies, which will build on our existing expertise and technology in the field of automated bio-detection solutions. It is our first biosecurity contract from the Department of Homeland Security and underscores our belief that there are significant market opportunities in this area, as our technologies align well with government biosecurity strategies.

"This programme directly addresses a CWMD Office priority focused on the detection, classification and identification of bioterrorism attacks. Biological threats are an increasing priority for governments, particularly in light of the pandemic. The output of the programme is aimed at providing increased capability to detect and identify biological threats in response to the operational needs of the  Department of Homeland Security and will be an important step in making the world safer from the threat of bioterrorism and other biological threats."

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Kromek Group plc 

Kromek Group plc is a leading developer of radiation detection and bio-detection technology solutions for the advanced imaging and CBRN detection segments. Headquartered in County Durham, UK, Kromek has manufacturing operations in the UK and US, delivering on the vision of enhancing the quality of life through innovative detection technology solutions.  

The advanced imaging segment comprises the medical (including CT and SPECT), security and industrial markets. Kromek provides its OEM customers with detector components, based on its core cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) platform, to enable better detection of diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's, contamination in industrial manufacture and explosives in aviation settings.  

In CBRN detection, the Group provides nuclear radiation detection solutions to the global homeland defence and security market. Kromek's compact, handheld, high-performance radiation detectors, based on advanced scintillation and solid-state readout technology, are primarily used to protect critical infrastructure, events, personnel and urban environments from the threat of 'dirty bombs'.  

The Group is also developing bio-security solutions in the CBRN detection segment. These consist of fully automated and autonomous systems to detect a wide range of airborne pathogens.  

Kromek is listed on AIM, a market of the London Stock Exchange, under the trading symbol 'KMK'.  

Acknowledgement of Sponsorship: This work is supported under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office, competitively award contract 70RWMD23C00000025. This support does not constitute an express or implied endorsement on the part of the Government.