Battelle provides comprehensive technical and management support to military, homeland defense, and commercial clients in the research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) of personnel protective equipment.

A multidisciplinary team of experienced scientists and engineers develops innovative solutions in PPE for the military, homeland defense, law enforcement, first responder, and industrial communities. Battelle provides an extensive range of R&D services including applied research, development and rapid prototyping, limited production as appropriate and technical project management.

Battelle’s core competencies in personnel protective equipment include:

• Textile and Clothing Technology – Research, development, and testing pattern development, prototype fabrication, and specification development.
• Anthropometry and Human Factors – Size and fit studies, vehicle/crew station compatibility, modeling and simulation, and Manpower and Personnel Integration (MANPRINT) assessments.
• Technology Market Studies and Analyses – Detailed commercial and military market surveys of the domestic and international arenas, unbiased "honest broker" assessments, structured user-based down select methodologies, and user friendly electronic data bases.
• Advanced Materials – organic and polymer synthesis, adhesives and sealants, coatings, elastomeric barriers for protection from chemical/biological agents, high performance composites for ballistic protection, molecular modeling, nanostructures and microstructures, and materials characterization.

Battelle has a number of specialized facilities capable of delivering the best PPE products to its clients using state-of-the-art testing and analysis equipment. These include:

• Hazardous Materials Research Center – chemical and biological agent testing, aerosol testing of PPE clothing systems, ambient breeze and biosafety level 3 (BL3) capabilities.
• High Energy Research Laboratory Area – large explosive containment facility, small caliber test facility for evaluation of protective gear, high energy research facility, explosives preparation facility, and hypervelocity impact and altitude facility.

Battelle also has through Cooperative Research and Development Agreements, access to unique protective clothing system test facilities (e.g., environmental testing chambers, flame test facility, human 3-D digitizer, underwater immersion exposure facility) at the Army Natick Soldier Research, Development, and Engineering Center and the Navy Clothing and Textile Research Facility.