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Illinois Homeland Security Research Center
11 Gerty Drive
Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 265-6564
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Welcome to the Illinois Homeland Security Research Center

The Illinois Homeland Security Research Center (IHSRC) was established in January 2004, by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Although its creation was spurred by the events of 9/11/2001 and the 2002 passage of the national Homeland Security Act, many of the University's research efforts began before 2001.

IHSRC is focused on the fostering of interdisciplinary collaboration to address broad issues in homeland security research and technology. The Center matches needs to resources and creates a test bed for concepts and products. In addition to seeking funds for focused research, IHSRC develops outreach and educational programs, builds government and private-sector partnerships, and provides a conduit for timely interactions on critical issues.

Illinois, currently ranked among the top three states in the U.S. in security preparedness, and its nationally ranked state university offer IHSRC a rich research environment. By combining the state's science and engineering resources with the knowledge base of our first responders, the Center serves as a statewide clearinghouse to support current and future homeland security needs.

The IHSRC is housed at the Urbana campus of the University of Illinois, which is represented on the Illinois Terrorism Task Force by the Illinois Fire Service Institute. The University offers access to a broad range of research centers, institutes and private companies that specialize in developing security technologies and training first responders. Campus facilities include one of the nation's leading fire service institutes, the internationally renowned National Center for Supercomputing Applications, a full service aviation institute, a police training institute, and a number of specialized research laboratories. These resources offer IHSRC the ability to develop homeland security strategies and technologies that encompass all of the nation's critical infrastructures.

The Center Functions to:

  • Foster research partnerships between academic institutions throughout the State of Illinois and both private and public partners;
  • Develop synergistic and interdisciplinary abilities to identify and resolve homeland security issues, and set national practices and standards;
  • Conduct research, outreach, and training on terrorism prevention and homeland security; and
  • Provide direct support to the State of Illinois, local communities, and the Federal Department of Homeland Security on technology applications, terrorism prevention and Homeland Security planning, policy, response, and recovery issues.

Our research, outreach, and training mission is focused on:

  • Defining and addressing critical challenges;
  • Supporting first responders;
  • Providing authoritative and unbiased review of emerging technologies;
  • Conducting action-oriented, applied research as well as long-term fundamental research to support homeland security and the war on terror;
  • Creating and transferring knowledge to other researchers, first responders and policy makers;
  • Aiding in the transition of technologies from the laboratory to the private sector.