Innovation for Security and Economic Prosperity (ISEP) is a multi-pronged CREATE initiative to develop and deploy systems that increase the impact of research on national security, the economic and jobs. Our aim is to expedite the transition of impactful research into practice throughout the homeland security enterprise. Details on the initiative follow.
Innovation for Security and Economic Prosperity (ISEP)
For more than two decades, CREATE has advanced the science and practice of risk and economic assessment to guide investments that that can make the nation safer. Working with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), CREATE has studied security threats – human caused and naturally occurring – as well as studied interventions that can save lives, minimize damage and avert catastrophe by reducing the likelihood and size of extreme events. ISEP is CREATE’s unified initiative to achieve the goals of national security and economic prosperity through technology transition into practice.
CREATE’s Experience in Technology Transition: ISEP builds from CREATE’s deep experience in partnered innovation. CREATE has developed risk-based tools that quantify the value of investments in safety and security.
- Working with DHS Science and Technology, the STAMINA project extended traditional Benefit-Cost Analysis to include transition uncertainties, resulting in Benefit-Cost-Risk Analysis (BCRA) that accounts for multi-stage risks in technology development, transition, deployment and impact.
- CREATE’s products have been used to solve real-world problems. Our research on adversarial games models lowered the cost of protecting critical assets by optimized random patrolling. Our Economic Consequences Analysis Tool has been deployed to estimate the economic impact of investments to counter terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and accidents.
- CREATE has advised and supported homeland security research teams around the country, making vital connections with strategic partners, policy makers, national-security investors, and follow-on funding opportunities. We have shown how to fill capability gaps and how to integrate, test, and demonstrate technologies, managing intellectual property, commercialization, company formation and connections to deployment partners.
Research + Implementation + Impact: CREATE’s ISEP initiative merges CREATE’s experience in risk and economic assessment for security technology with its experience in technology transition. Our unifying theme is Innovation for Security and Economic Prosperity, building national security and the economy with cost-effective research-proven technology. ISEP draws from the deep experience of CREATE’s research fellows, staff and students, offering novel solutions for technology transition along with educational experiences to build the homeland security workforce. In addition to being CREATE’s new initiative, ISEP is also the theme for CREATE Director Randolph Hall’s upcoming book (Springer, 2027).
Why CREATE and USC: CREATE offers a rare combination of scientific foundation, technology transition experience and national security focus. Located in Los Angeles, USC is central to Southern California’s national-security innovation ecosystem. CREATE is a national resource that builds partnerships to serve security needs including those arising from the upcoming LA28 Olympics and Paralympics. CREATE is positioned to draw from key USC resources, including the Viterbi School of Engineering’s Information Science Institute, the Price School of Public Policy’s Center on National Defense and Public Safety and critical ongoing research on drone technology, space propulsion, quantum computing and sensing, robotics, logistics, AI navigation, and cyber-physical systems. ISEP is a resource that bridges homeland security research with the companies, agencies and organizations responsible for protecting the homeland.
For more information, contact CREATE’s Director, Randolph Hall at [email protected].
Posted on October 5, 2026