Sister Institutions

START is one of 5 Centers of Excellence of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Centers are authorized by Congress and chosen by the Department's Science & Technology Directorate through a competitive selection process. The Centers are operated through S&T's Office of University Programs.

Additional information on the Centers of Excellence program is available at the DHS website: http://www.dhs.gov/xres/programs/editorial_0498.shtm.

Center for Advancing Microbial Risk Assessment
(CAMRA)
Mission: To develop models, tools and information that will be used in a credible risk assessment framework to reduce or eliminate health impacts from deliberate use of biological agents of concern (BAC) as bioterrorists agents in the indoor and outdoor environment.
based at Michigan State University
http://camra.msu.edu/index.html

Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events
(CREATE)
Mission: To assess the risks of terrorism, to develop tools for analyzing economic and societal consequences of terrorist attacks, and to provide guidance on investments to counter terrorism and make the nation safer.
based at the University of Southern California
http://www.usc.edu/dept/create/

National Center for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease Defense
(FAZD)
Mission: To address the range of threats presented by deliberately (or accidentally) introduced foreign animal and zoonotic diseases.
based at Texas A&M University
http://fazd.tamu.edu/

National Center for Food Protection and Defense
(NCFPD)
Mission: To advance the security and safety of the nation's food supply through research, education, and outreach.
based at the University of Minnesota
http://www.fpd.umn.edu/index.html

Center for the Study of Preparedness & Catastrophic Event Response
(PACER)
Mission: To improve the nation's preparedness and the ability to respond in the event of a high consequence disaster to alleviate the event's effects by developing and disseminating best scientific principles.
based at The Johns Hopkins University
http://www.pacercenter.org/

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