WASHINGTON — Leading corporate, government and academic institutions have joined together to form a new group that will focus on developing research and solutions for identity management challenges seen in today's society.

The Center for Applied Identity Management Research will bring together experts in criminal justice, financial crime, biometrics, cyber crime, cyber defense, data protection, homeland security and national defense to exchange ideas and provide insight on issues such as cyber crime, financial crimes, identity theft and fraud.

"We'll look at identity management from a broad spectrum. We'll bring together people who wouldn't normally come across each other to talk and exchange ideas," said Gary Gordon, executive director of CAIMR.