Program Director's Recommendation Center for Identification Technology Research (CITeR) Proposal #1332046, 1332118, 1331395 This proposal seeks funding for the Center for Identification Technology Research (CITeR) located at Clarkson University, West Virginia University, and the University of Arizona. Funding Requests for Fundamental Research are authorized by an NSF approved solicitation, NSF 11-570. The solicitation invites I/UCRCs to submit proposals for support of industry-defined fundamental research. In this Fundamental Research proposal the PIs will explore the migration of biometric applications into a Cloud Computing environment. Using existing cloud hardware and software infrastructure at participating Universities, the PIs will design and demonstrate a multi-university, multi-domain, multi-dataset virtual biometric cloud - BioCloud. The PIs plan to analyze access control, privacy protection and data sharing policies and techniques. Selected solutions will then be used to develop the BioCloud prototype that will support Biometric Software (Identification) as a Service (B-SaaS), Biometric Data as a Service (B-DaaS), and Biometric Platform as a Service (B-PaaS). In this proposed work, the PIs will develop the catalog of requirements, futures and constraints that must be addressed in identity management applications. Verifiable protection policies and techniques that guard personally identifiable information in pervasive next generation government and commercial identity management cloud-based applications are the prerequisite for the improved public trust, which in turn allows for sustainable protection of security and civil liberties. The project will further improve the industry/ university collaboration in the field of biometrics, thus increasing the chances of speedy transition of best research ideas into practice. Undergraduate and graduate students will be included in the research and prototyping. BioCloud will create a platform for innovative undergraduate and graduate school projects at the three participating universities. Special attention will be given to the recruitment of minorities and students from traditionally underrepresented groups in STEM fields