USC has evolved through peace and wartime to become a leading institution for innovative military research, technologies, training, and support for the U.S. military and their families. We consistently rank in the top ten among private research universities in Department of Defense sponsored research.
Our many centers and institutes include:
The Information Sciences Institute (ISI) was launched in 1972 to support the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). ISI helped conceive, design and implement the Internet, including communications protocols that remain fundamental to Internet operations. ISI also invented and developed the Domain Name System (DNS), essential to Internet functionality.
The Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT) is a DoD-sponsored University Affiliated Research Center working in collaboration with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory. ICT developed Bravemind, a clinical, interactive, virtual reality-based exposure therapy tool for post-traumatic stress disorder. ICT has also developed a game-based tool for rehabilitation of servicemembers with amputation and an interaction tool to reduce stigmas associated with amputation.
The USC Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families (CIR) was established to guide behavioral health practitioners, build community networks, develop new technologies, and inform policymakers. CIR has conducted innovative research to help combat veterans reintegrate successfully to civilian life and participates in a project to improve acceptance, integration, and health among LGBT servicemembers.
