Homeland Security Centers of Excellence

Homeland Security Centers of Excellence (HS-Centers) are sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. These Centers develop multidisciplinary, customer-driven, homeland security science and technology solutions and train the next generation of homeland security experts. The Centers were created under the Homeland Security Act in 2002 in order to establish a coordinated, university-based system to enhance the nation's homeland security.

Current Centers

The Center of Excellence network includes twelve Centers, ten of which are active, each focused on a unique homeland security need.

The Arctic Domain Awareness Center (ADAC)

The Arctic Domain Awareness Center (ADAC), led by the University of Alaska Anchorage, develops and transitions technology solutions, innovative products, and educational programs to improve situational awareness and crisis response capabilities related to emerging maritime challenges posed by the dynamic Arctic environment.

The Center for Visualization and Data Analytics (CVADA)

The Center for Visualization and Data Analytics (CVADA), 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.

The Center of Excellence for Awareness & Localization of Explosives-Related Threats (ALERT)

The Center of Excellence for Awareness & Localization of Explosives-Related Threats (ALERT), led by Northeastern University, develops new means and methods to protect the Nation from explosives-related threats.

The Center of Excellence for Zoonotic and Animal Disease Defense (ZADD)

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 Coastal Hazards Center of Excellence (CHC)

The Coastal Hazards Center of Excellence (CHC), co-led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 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 Maritime Security Center (MSC)

The Maritime Security Center (MSC), led by Stevens Institute of Technology, enhances Maritime Domain Awareness and develops strategies to support Marine Transportation System resilience and educational programs for current and aspiring homeland security practitioners.

The National Center for Border Security and Immigration (NCBSI)

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, as well as assess threats and vulnerabilities, improve surveillance and screening, analyze immigration trends, and enhance policy and law enforcement efforts.

The National Center for Food Protection and Defense (NCFPD)

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 Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events (CREATE)

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, and guides economically viable investments in countermeasures that will make our Nation safer and more secure.

The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START)

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, while strengthening the resilience of U.S. citizens to terrorist attacks.

Emeritus Centers

• 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 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 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 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.

See also

• Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
• War on Terrorism
• Surveillance