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(COE)
97.061
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: Addressing Rapid Changes through Technology, Innovation, and Collaboration (ADAC-ARTIC) will conduct research and education activities to addresses critical gaps in Arctic homeland security missions, supporting interdisciplinary work that aims to tackle complex challenges such as environmental monitoring, maritime safety, infrastructure protection, and emergency response. The Center’s research and education programs will engage diverse stakeholders - with emphasis on indigenous communities - to address dramatic changes in the Arctic region due to decreasing sea ice, coastal erosion, environmental hazards, and other challenges. 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. 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. 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 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, which will allow CIRI to develop solutions to enhance preparedness and recovery of the nation’s critical infrastructure systems. 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 overarching goal of the Center will be to advance our understanding of coastal hazards to benefit a large number of public and private 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. The goal of SENTRY is to advance research that safeguards spaces where traditional methods to physical security are impractical to implement at scale. 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 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.
This chart shows obligations for the program by fiscal year. All data for this chart was provided by the
administering agency and sourced from SAM.gov, USASpending.gov, and Treasury.gov.
For more information on each of these data sources, please see the
About the data page.
Continuation application for 8 COEs (Two centers funded at less than $1M per institution were not included on continuation application). Competition of 2 COEs Continuation application for 10 COEs (Two centers funded at less than $1M per institution were not included on continuation application). Competition of 2 COEs
Continuation Application of 6 COEs OUP awarded two new COEs in FY17.
Continuation Application for 6 COEs. OUP to award one new COE in FY18.
FY19 (actual) : Continuation Applications of 9 COEs.
Continuation Applications of 8 COEs. OUP awarded one new COE in FY20. ADAC - completed successful tests of the Long-range Autonomous Vehicle (LRAUV) and marine induced polarization technologies under development and transitioned the High-Resolution Ice-Ocean Modeling and Assimilation System (HIOMAS) to USCG customer.
BTI - completed Border Management/Cross Border Trade Course Curriculum and university offering courses for CBP officers and general public. Completed Cross-Border E-Commerce Challenges with Emerging Technologies research utilized by CBP and posted on its website.
CAOE - developed tools that predict fluctuating demands at airport screening facilities at Phoenix Sky Harbor, helping to improve the efficiency of screening checkpoints without compromising security. This is a large-scale educational collaboration between airports in Phoenix, Las Vegas and San Diego contributed to the work.
CBTS - In response to the COVID19 pandemic, the COE quickly initiated several new research projects examining the pandemic’s impact on various global supply chains.
CIRI - provided funding and research opportunities to over 29 graduate students from 10 universities. These students collaborated alongside faculty researchers to address homeland security challenges.
CRC – developed a Graduate Certificate in Disaster Resilient Policy, Engineering and Design that was approved and implemented by the North Carolina State University (NCSU) Curriculum Committee and the Graduate School in May 2020. CRC researchers developed the certificate program to further interdisciplinary education focused on achieving disaster resilience.
CINA - produced its first and second prototypes in digital forensics and network analysis. The “Hash” prototype allows the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Cyber Crimes Center (C3) to reduce dramatically the number of hours searching for evidence on recovered devices.
MSC - developed a two-day Maritime Cybersecurity Professional Development Course in conjunction with U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Cyber Command and USCG Sector NY. The course provides Coast Guard personnel with foundational knowledge in cyber security concepts and increased awareness of cyber security vulnerabilities and mitigations, to assist in making cyber assessments as part of facility and vessel inspections and cyber incident response efforts.
NCITE - supported the analysis and dissemination of a monthly report about ISIS in America, which details updated state-level statistics about recent U.S. Persons charged with material support charges across the United States. The report was sent to 78 DHS Fusion Centers and FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force listserv, which allows for information sharing about threats across FLSTT boundaries at an UNCLASSIFIED level for broad consumption from stakeholders.
2021: Continuation Applications of 8 COEs. ADAC – developed and filed a provisional patent for a Long-Range Autonomous Vehicle (LRAUV) System and developed Arctic All-Hazard WebGIS software, which was successfully integrated into Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN) Geospatial Information Infrastructure (GII) and incorporated a USCG Automatic Identification System (AIS) feed into the application. CAOE - developed and filed a provisional patent for an invention that advances the characterization of network scanning for vulnerable machines in the Internet or to perform reconnaissance, which is often the first step in a cyberattack, advancing automated characterization of network scanning that that will enable actionable cyber defense intelligence. CBTS - completed the development of Animal and Plant Disease Epidemiology 101 and 102 Courses and provided training classes to CBP Training Officers and completed a Comprehensive Curriculum Gap Analysis and Needs Assessment of CBP Training and Education programs.
CIRI - developed the Probabilistic Resilient Interdependent Infrastructure System Modeling (PRIISM), a software product that conducts interdependent infrastructure risk assessments. The tool aims to provide a way to conduct more comprehensive risk assessments of critical infrastructure considering interdependencies between multiple networks. CRC’s - ADCIRC model was incorporated into the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Global Extratropical Surge & Tide Operational Forecast System (ESTOFS-Global). Used by forecasters at Weather Forecasting Offices and the Ocean Prediction Center (OPC) to generate their storm surge forecasts during winter storms, the model also now offers improved spatial resolution in U.S. waters and enhanced physics. CINA - produced its third and fourth prototypes in multimedia analytics. The third prototype, voice analysis, provides U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigators with new and valuable information about the speaker in voice recordings (e.g. from 911 calls, interviews, etc.). The fourth prototype, video analytics system, increases the capacity of HSI, TSA, and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to perform face and body identification and reidentification and edge processing, even using low-quality equipment. MSC - conducted two successful pilots of its Maritime Cybersecurity Professional Development Course. The course was piloted remotely on October 1-2, 2020, and December 3-4, 2020, and included a total of 34 marine safety personnel representing 18 Sectors from nine USCG Districts. NCITE - successfully involved 66 students within their core operations, research, and internships. Students were able to enhance their technical expertise, awareness of the Department’s missions, and were provided stipends and/or tuition.
Received continuation applications of 7 COEs. OUP awarded the SENTRY COE in FY22. ADAC - completed the development of an Arctic Ice Condition Index (ARCTICE) and its integration into a visualization tool for the Arctic region, initially focused on the ice laden waters of the Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. ARCTICE produces an easy-to-understand numeral to communicate ice conditions that are relevant to the capabilities of an individual vessel. This index has the potential to provide our U.S. Coast Guard and shipmasters with vital data to ensure the safety and security of Arctic vessels, personnel, and our environment. CAOE - hosted its third Hackathon/Design Challenge on “Countering Emerging Threats o Critical Infrastructure.” This multi-COE event included 73 undergraduate and graduate students and 17 individual teams. The event provided a structured learning experience for students and included several real-world problem statements impacting homeland security, in which they were given them the opportunity to design, build, and implement innovative solutions that were then presented to SMEs and DHS leadership. CBTS - CBP Officers and Agricultural Specialists successfully completed the Epidemiology 102 train-the trainer course. CBTS partnered with AgriLife Research at Texas A&M University to develop the Epidemiology 102 course to train DHS Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers, Agriculture Specialists and other CBP field personnel to effectively query and triage incoming travelers, cargo, and shipments at our borders and ports of entry, and address epidemiological considerations. CINA - provided HSI Cyber Crimes Center with a prototype of the Criminal Predictive Analytical Platform for Opioid Abuse software for user feedback and preliminary testing. CIRI - kicked off Phase 2A of the NG 9-1-1 interoperability Testing Program, and important effort that will help ensure emergency telecommunications networks and equipment will be capable of working together end-to-end as the nation’s 911 network moves into its “next generation” capable of handling not only voice communications, but text, videos, and external data as well. This phase of the project focuses on conformance testing requirements designed to be operational with the huge variety of equipment and systems in use nationwide. CRC - published the “Support Strategies for Socially Marginalized Neighborhoods Likely Impacted by Natural Hazards” report for DHS stakeholders that explores the disproportionate impacts of federal mitigation assistance on socially marginalized groups and under-resourced neighborhoods. The purpose of the report is to improve mitigation efforts by addressing equity in emergency management, ultimately informing the creation of national policy for federal organizations including FEMA, NOAA, and others. The research team also help a Natural Hazards: Mitigation & Equity Talk to present the results of the report to stakeholders. MSC - delivered its Maritime Cybersecurity Professional Development Course to USCG personnel. The course provided USCG personnel with fundamental cybersecurity knowledge and understanding of emerging threats to enhance vessel and facility security inspections and incident response. NCITE - hosted an online panel discussion “Six Months After the Countering Domestic Terrorism Strategy: A Conversation with John Cohen” with The George Washington University’s Program on Extremism. The panel featured Mr. John Cohen, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Undersecretary of Intelligence an Analysis at DHS. Mr. Cohen discussed the Biden Administration’s National strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism and discussed how DHS sees the current threat of domestic terrorism, the difficulties tied to resource allocation, and successes and challenges with the strategy implementation. Dr. Gina Ligon, Director of NCITE, and Mr. Seamus Hughes, Deputy Director of the Program on Extremism at GWU, participated in the panel discussion.
Fiscal Year 2023 (completed) Received continuation applications of 7 COEs. New ADAC/ARCTIC COE - A Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the new Arctic COE was published on April 19, 2023; (awarded in January of FY24) CAOE/SENTRY - Co-hosted a 30-hour hackathon at Arizona State University. This event challenged 115 students representing 11 institutions from across the country and Puerto Rico to quickly create innovative solutions to 1) guide crowds to good decisions during an attack, 2) enable effective and timely communication among stakeholders and responder to allow for oversight and response to an attack, and 3) inform and enable civilians to prepare for a drone attack. Problem sets were designed to drive outcomes that would align with real-world scenarios and current DHS mission challenge areas across the Homeland Security Enterprise. This event also supported CAOE’s and SENTRY’s focus on education and workforce development to cultivate the next generation of Homeland Security professionals. CBTS - developed a Truck Border Crossing Delays and Disruptions Economic Impact Assessment Model that was distributed by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). CINA – Hosted six Distinguished Speaker events that provide homeland security thought leadership and result in quality video resources for the Homeland Security Enterprise (HSE). CIRI - conducted its FY2023 annual meeting in Washington, DC on December 6-7, 2022 – its first in-person annual meeting since the pandemic. CRC - Conducted research to inform equitable administration and application of FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program to marginalized groups, neighborhoods, and communities. NCITE – released an Request for Proposals (RFP) that received 28 submissions and OUP conducted a Biennial Review on all of NCITE’s research, education, management efforts to provide actions and recommendations to be implemented in their next year’s work plan. SENTRY – Conducted a series of Advanced Development for Security Applications (ADSA) and Advanced Developments Encompassing Processes and Technologies (ADEPT) workshops attended by lead institution personnel, OUP officials, and engaged industry and DHS Component personnel.
Fiscal Year 2024 (estimated) - Will receive continuation applications of 8 COEs. ADAC/ARCTIC – The newly awarded Center recruited and appointed Federal advisors within DHS Components (CISA, FEMA, HIS, S&T and USCG) to serve on the ADAC/ARCTIC COE Board of Directors. CAOE – Held the 2024 Designing Actionable Solutions for a Secure Homeland (DASSH) Student Design Challenge that took place February 23-25 and asked students how they might respond, recover, anticipate, and mitigate cyberattacks on infrastructure. CBTS – Will foster cross-border and transdisciplinary collaborations across Mexico, the United States, and Canada through a single research platform needed to assess the state of risk of U.S. supply chain across North America through at least two case studies. CINA – Will host at least six speakers as part of CINA’s Distinguished Speaker Series that provides homeland security-related thought leadership and that also results in quality video resources for the HSE. CIRI - hosted their Annual Meeting in-person in Arlington, Virginia on April 15-16, 2024, which allowed CIRI to share their progress on ongoing research, demonstrate tools and technology heading towards commercialization, and solicit the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) stakeholder feedback for the upcoming year. The meeting also provided collaboration opportunities for critical infrastructure stakeholders across the government, academia, and industry to have the maximum impact and benefit to the homeland security enterprise. CRC - On March 25-26, 2024, in line with S&T and FEMA priorities, CRC hosted a two-day workshop, convening over 40 community leaders, practitioners, and researchers to discuss best practices for reducing disaster risk throughout the disaster lifecycle in an equitable way. As a result of this workshop, CRC will provide a detailed report identifying areas needing additional research, investment, or policy actions, which will enable S&T and FEMA to take actions to help bolster the resilience of marginalized communities. NCITE - Exposed students to homeland security challenges by funding 53 graduate students within research, education, and core management activities at the Center for the 2023 – 2024 academic year. SENTRY - On March 27, 2024, This SENTRY Stadium Security focus group helped SENTRY to leverage up-to-date, real-time information and knowledge of subject matter experts in the stadium security space to develop relevant, useful tools for use in securing stadiums. This event was held with the stakeholder involvement, the support of government and industry. The goal of this case study is to inform SENTRY researchers of ways to enhance the security and related guest experience of stadium venues while maintaining a welcoming environment.
Single Audit Applies (2 CFR Part 200 Subpart F):
For additional information on single audit requirements for this program, review the current Compliance Supplement.
OMB is working with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) and agency offices of inspectors general to include links to relevant oversight reports. This section will be updated once this information is made available.
