DHS Centers of Excellence Network
Sponsored by the DHS Office of University Programs, the Centers of Excellence perform research and development activities to provide critical homeland security tools, technologies, training, and talent (including over 40 tools, technologies, and knowledge products either in pilot studies or use). The Centers of Excellence (COE) network is an extended consortium of hundreds of universities generating ground-breaking ideas for new technologies and critical knowledge. All Centers of Excellence work closely with academia, industry, DHS components and first-responders to develop customer-driven research solutions to ‘on the ground’ challenges as well as provide essential training to the next generation of homeland security experts. The research portfolio is a mix of basic and applied research addressing both short and long-term needs. The COE extended network is also available for rapid response efforts.
The Network currently includes twelve Centers of Excellence, each focused on a unique homeland security need:
The National Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events (CREATE), led by the University of Southern California, develops advanced tools to evaluate the risks,costs, and consequences of terrorism.
The Center of Excellence for Zoonotic and Animal Disease Defense (ZADD), co-led by Texas A&M University and Kansas State University, protects the nation’s agriculture and public health sectors against high-consequence foreign animal, emerging, and zoonotic disease threats.
The National Center for Food Protection and Defense (NCFPD), led by the University of Minnesota, defends the safety and security of the food system by conducting research to protect vulnerabilities in the Nation’s food supply chain.
The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), led by the University of Maryland, provides policy makers and practitioners with empirically grounded findings on the human elements of the terrorist threat and informs decisions on how to disrupt terrorists and terrorist groups.
The Center for Advancing Microbial Risk Assessment (CAMRA), co-led by Michigan State University and Drexel University and established jointly with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, fills critical gaps in risk assessment for mitigating microbial hazards.
The National Center for the Study of Preparedness and Catastrophic Event Response (PACER), led by Johns Hopkins University, optimizes the Nation’s medical and public health preparedness, mitigation, and recovery strategies in the event of a high-consequence natural or man-made disaster.
The Center of Excellence for Awareness & Localization of Explosives-Related Threats (ALERT), co-led by Northeastern University and the University of Rhode Island, develops new means and methods to protect the Nation from explosives-related threats.
The National Center for Border Security and Immigration (NCBSI), co-led by the University of Arizona in Tucson and the University of Texas at El Paso, develops novel technologies, tools, and advanced methods to balance immigration and commerce with effective border security.
The Center for Maritime, Island and Remote and Extreme Environment Security (MIREES), co-led by the University of Hawaii and the Stevens Institute of Technology, focuses on developing robust research and education programs addressing maritime domain awareness to safeguard populations and properties in geographical areas that present significant security challenges.
The Coastal Hazards Center of Excellence (CHC), co-led by the University of North Carolina and Jackson State University, performs research and develops education programs to enhance the Nation’s ability to safeguard populations, properties, and economies from catastrophic natural disasters.
The National Transportation Security Center of Excellence (NTSCOE), co-led by the University of Connecticut, Tougaloo College and Texas Southern University, is a seven-institution consortium focused on developing new technologies, tools, and advanced methods to defend, protect, and increase the resilience of the Nation’s multi-modal transportation infrastructure.
The Center of Excellence in Command, Control, and Interoperability (CCI), co-led by Purdue University (visualization sciences-VACCINE) and Rutgers University (data sciences-CCICADA) creates the scientific basis and enduring technologies needed to analyze large quantities of information to detect security threats to the Nation.
To learn more about each Center, use the COE pull-down menu on the navigation bar at the top of the page.
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