The Navy-sponsored Applied Research Laboratory at the University of Hawai'i has received a $1 million military contract to help develop technology to detect roadside bombs, officials said.

The one-year contract with the Army will involve research into using multiple optical methods to detect the chemical signature of improvised explosive devices before they detonate, the university said.

It is the UH laboratory's second "task order" since becoming eligible for military work in July.

Roadside bombs are the leading cause of U.S. deaths in Iraq and are increasingly being used in Afghanistan.

Electronic counter-measures and a variety of other defenses have been investigated since the Iraq war began more than five years ago, but the explosives continue to be a vexing problem for the U.S. military.

"We're very happy to have this (project), and we hope to make a contribution by finding a way to detect IEDs," said Jim Gaines, vice president for research with the UH system.

The contract is for a year, but "if we're making progress, I would expect that there will be follow-on work," Gaines said.

UH said it will work with two university partners, Arkansas State University and Florida A&M University, as well as three private companies to develop the technique.

Gaines said the research, which will involve about four UH personnel, will include lab and field work.

Nonexplosive materials with chemical compositions similar to actual explosives will be used for the tests. The university said it will not store any explosive material.

The Applied Research Laboratory in September received its first task order, an $850,000 award sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for UH researchers to study the marine environment in the area known as "Ordnance Reef" off Wai'anae, where munitions were dumped during and after World War II.

In September of 2007, after almost three years of controversy, UH's board of regents approved plans for the Navy-affiliated research lab.

Critics worried about weapons research and a shift away from educational core values, while proponents argued that the center would bring millions in research money and prestige to the university.

Officials agreed that no classified research would be conducted in the first three years.

The university said the research lab became eligible for military work in July, and the Defense Department set a ceiling of $26.2 million worth of work over the three-year time period.

Gaines said the target set was about $6 million in work the first year, and $10 million in research in each of the two years after that.

"I think we're right on track to get to that $26 million ceiling in a three-year period," Gaines said.

As a designated Navy-sponsored research lab, the UH facility can conduct research for the Navy, the Defense Department and other government agencies.