Mission of CREATE
The mission of the USC Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Threats and Emergencies (CREATE) is to improve the Nation's security through the development of advanced models and tools for the evaluation of the risks, costs and consequences of terrorism and to guide economically viable investments in homeland security.
We are accomplishing our mission through an integrated program of research, education and outreach that is designed to inform and support decisions made by elected officials and governmental employees at the national, state, and local levels. We are also working with private industry, both to improve the security of private enterprises and to work in partnership toward meeting the needs of public organizations.
CREATE's approach is unique as it encompasses many elements to produce the greatest possible return. By using an interdisciplinary approach, CREATE merges social scientists, engineers, economists and computer scientists, in a program which integrates research, education and outreach.
The Center is a gathering place where leading researchers from around the country come to assist in the national effort to improve homeland security through analysis and modeling of threats to homeland security. Just as importantly, the Center treats the subject matter of homeland security with the urgency that it deserves, with the goal of producing rapid results, leveraging existing resources so that benefits accrue to our nation as quickly as possible.
The Center aims to become the world's leading academic program for modeling the risks and vulnerabilities of terrorism, assessing the direct and indirect consequences, gauging their economic impacts, and evaluating the effectiveness of countermeasures.