The US Army Research Laboratory has awarded a contract to Raytheon BBN Technologies to create a collaborative technology alliance in network science.

Under the $81m contract, the company will conduct fundamental research in network science to identify the common attributes in different kinds of networks.

The Raytheon BBN-led consortium called as ARL Network Science Collaborative Technology Alliance will examine communication, information, and social and cognitive networks.

The consortium will include more than 30 university and industrial labs from an interdisciplinary research centre (IRC), which, alongside research, will also be responsible for transitioning new technologies to the Department of Defense.