PALO ALTO, Calif., Feb. 3 -- Agilent Technologies Inc. was awarded a $930,000 Phase I research grant by the US Department of Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA) to facilitate the research and development of a next-generation chemical-agent detection system. Agilent will contribute to the first phase of projects, related to the development of an autonomous rapid facility chemical agent monitor (ARFCAM). ARFCAM will be designed to monitor enclosed areas, such as government buildings and transportation facilities, for chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial compounds. The award is funded by HSARPA through its Detection Systems for Biological and Chemical Countermeasures program. The goal of this program is to develop, test and commercialize next-generation biological and chemical detectors that can effectively counter potential biological and chemical attacks. Agilent also announced the formation of Agilent Technologies China Holding Co. Ltd., based in Shanghai, to consolidate its entities in China. With the launch of the new company, Agilent said it expects to expand its presence in this region, as well as accelerate business growth. Agilent's businesses in China employ 1100 and are centered in Beijing and Shanghai, with other offices throughout the country. Among its facilities in Shanghai are Agilent Technologies (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., which focuses on R&D, marketing and manufacturing services for the company's Life Sciences and Chemical Analysis business, and a Software Application Center for Agilent's Automated Test Group, which develops software for the semiconductor manufacturing and test industries. Other Shanghai operations include the Agilent Shanghai Trading Co., which opened in 2004 for outsourcing the company's semiconductor products to contract manufacturers in China and to provide design and application support to its semiconductor customers, and an Agilent Technologies Co. Ltd. Shanghai branch office. In Beijing, Agilent Technologies Co. Ltd. is chartered with product marketing, sales and technical support. The business has branch offices in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Xi'an and Shenyang. Agilent Technologies Software Co. Ltd., including a division of Agilent Labs, opened in Beijing in 2000 to support the company's research efforts in China. Work there is focused on R&D, as well as product development, and on China's growing wireline and wireless communications industries. For more information, visit: www.agilent.com