DHS S&T seeks to establish a university-led consortium that work closely with DHS Components and their partners to conduct research, develop and transition mission-relevant science and technology and educate the next generation of homeland security technical and scientific challenges identified by DHS components. To accomplish this objective, DHS S&T has developed the following Centers of Excellence (COEs) and associated objectives:
The Arctic Domain Awareness Center (ADAC) will focus on interdisciplinary research, education, and technology transition in maritime security, maritime domain awareness, and extreme and remote maritime environment issues. ADAC will focus on interdisciplinary research, education, and technology transition in maritime security, maritime domain awareness, and extreme and remote maritime environment issues. An interdisciplinary and experienced team of researchers is required to create an integrated array of research and education programs in the following areas: 1) maritime risk, threat analysis, and resilience research; 2) maritime domain awareness; and 3) maritime technology research. DHS is interested in pursuing research that will address the needs and technological shortfalls that enable the USCG and other Arctic maritime operators to respond to catastrophic events. Greater situational awareness in the Arctic maritime domain, including the Northern Bering Sea and Bering Strait, is a requirement to prevent and respond to incidents of national significance.
The Center for Accelerating Operational Efficiency (CAOE) will conduct end-user focused research to enhance the application of analytic tools to enable the DHS components and offices to realize achievable improvements in operational efficiency, and to support real-time decision making to address homeland security-related threats and hazards. The research will provide technologies, education and training to improve data management and analysis, to facilitate operations research and systems analysis, to identify the economic impact of security threats and hazards, and to critically assess risks to DHS missions and the people and property they protect. DHS expects this Center to develop the next generation of applied mathematical, computational, and statistical theory (including algorithms and methods), and to advance the quantitative analytical capabilities of DHS components and offices and their partners. This Center also will provide quantitative and analytical tools to administrators, investigators, field operators, and analysts across DHS components.
The Cross Border Threat Screening and Supply Chain Defense (CBTS) Center will research and develop solutions, protocols, and capabilities to support DHS operations that detect, assess, and respond to known and unknown biological threats and hazards that could adversely impact the Nation’s people, agriculture, and economy. This Center’s research will provide innovations and methods to improve biothreat screening and detection, prevention, and support response. Researchers will seek to understand how advances in bioengineering can support the needs of operators in the field when confronted with emerging threats, both naturally occurring and in situations involving intentional exposures. The Center will also research how to make sense of large amounts of data emerging from diagnostics, genetics, sensors, and the environment. Today’s analysts, first responders, professionals in public and animal health, and operators in the field are confronted with enormous amounts of data which, if understood, could assist in improving our ability to identify threats earlier and make decisions that save lives and the economy.
The Criminal Investigations and Network Analysis (CINA) Center will provide solutions to enhance investigation strategies to counter the proliferation of transnational criminal networks, cross-border criminal activities, and the growth in criminal use and exploitation of the cyber domain. CINA will develop and conduct research and education programs that will help DHS and its partners enhance investigation strategies to counter the proliferation of transnational criminal networks, cross-border criminal activities, and the growth in criminal use and exploitation of the cyber domain. The Center will provide education and professional development to improve the cost-effectiveness of criminal investigations, prosecution, prediction and prevention. CINA will also develop data, methods, tools, knowledge-products, and technology-based solutions for agents, officers and investigators to better coordinate investigative strategies and operations to predict, avert and prosecute trans-national crimes.
The Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute (CIRI) will conduct research and education that will enhance the Nation’s ability to prepare and more rapidly recover from catastrophic disruptions, supporting DHS and its partners in solving complex, interdisciplinary challenges that affect the Nation’s infrastructure. Using a place-based approach, researchers will investigate multiple linked industrial sectors, utilities, and public services. These entities collectively prove critical to business continuity and community recovery within a specific metropolitan area. The place-based approach will allow CIRI to develop solutions to enhance preparedness and recovery of the nation’s critical infrastructure systems. Critical infrastructures are the assets, systems, and networks, whether physical or virtual, so vital to the United States that their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination thereof.
The Coastal Resilience Center (CRC) will conduct research and education to enhance the Nation’s ability to safeguard people, infrastructure, and economies from catastrophic coastal natural disasters such as floods and hurricanes. The Coastal Resilience Center also will consider future climate trends and their impacts on coastal resilience. Areas of research will include coastal infrastructure resilience, building resilient communities, and disaster dynamics. The overarching goal of the Center will be to advance our understanding of coastal hazards to benefit a large number of public and private entities. DHS anticipates this research will produce tangible research and education results for use by DHS, other federal agencies, state and local governments, and other relevant entities. Soft-target Engineering to Neutralize the Threat RealitY (SENTRY) Center will focus efforts in protecting transportation environments and public venues, improving systems of collaboration across public and private entities, and producing new engineering approaches to securing crowded spaces with novel design concepts. There are growing threats from malicious threat actors that target unsecure spaces where they can inflict the gravest injury to human life and property. These threats result in physical, psychological, and financial losses on the individual, collective and societal level to the American population. To address these threats, DHS can make a difference by ensuring future public and private investment in urban infrastructure includes security principals. DHS seeks research that will ensure the Departments long-term needs are considered when infrastructure recapitalization occurs. SENTRY's research will directly support the department’s strategic framework to counter terrorism and targeted violence. The goal of SENTRY is to advance research that safeguards spaces where traditional methods to physical security are impractical to implement at scale.
The Maritime Security Center (MSC) will continue ongoing research and education activities in coordination with U.S. Coast Guard and other customers to facilitate transition of appropriate projects to DHS components and advance integrated education efforts. MSC research projects focus on the following areas: Maritime Risk, Threat Analysis, and Resilience Research; Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) Research; Maritime Technology Research; and Integration of Science and Engineering with Maritime Security Governance and Policy Research. In addition to pursuing key research and education initiatives based on DHS challenges, the Center will also focus on enhancing the knowledge, technical skills, and leadership capabilities of the Nation’s current and prospective maritime security workforce. At the core of the Center’s mission is the transfer of its research and expertise into relevant, innovative educational programs. The Center’s educational programs leverage the subject matter expertise and research assets of its academic partners and stakeholder network to provide multidisciplinary and experiential learning opportunities for students and tailored programs for professional audiences.
The National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education (NCITE) Center will conduct research and develop solutions, protocols, and capabilities to support DHS operations that detect, assess, and respond to domestic terrorist activities that would harm the people and infrastructure of the United States. The Center’s research portfolio will focus on four major theme areas: the nature of counterterrorism operations, development of the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative, Terrorism Prevention, and Workforce Development. The Center will provide education and professional development to ensure that the current and future homeland security enterprise workforce is adequately trained and educated to prepare for and respond to terrorist activities.
