West Virginia University (WVU) is the FBI's lead academic partner in biometrics research under an agreement signed today at the university, in Morgantown, W.V. WVU will provide biometrics research support to the FBI and its law enforcement and national security partners and will be the FBI liaison to the academic community of biometric researchers nationwide. The FBI's science and technology branch is creating a Biometric Center of Excellence to coordinate biometric and identity management activities within the agency in other US government agencies. The center will facilitate research, development, training and other activities related to biometric technologies and systems and will provide biometric services and technologies to fight terrorism and to aid in investigative and intelligence efforts, the agency said. The National Science Foundation (NSF) Center for Identification Technology Research is a WVU-University of Arizona partnership that is part of the NSF's Industry/University Cooperative Research Center program.