Engaging Future Leaders to Secure the Nation

Hacking for Homeland Security (H4HS) is a mission-driven entrepreneurship program sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The program develops innovative solutions for critical homeland security problems by harnessing university talent with DHS professionals, technical experts, and business leaders.

In H4HS courses, interdisciplinary student teams are provided with real-world national security problems sourced from DHS employees. DHS employees who submit problems are then considered Problem Sponsors. Problem Sponsors are responsible for connecting the student teams with other people in their agency so the team can gain deep understanding of the problem and solution possibilities by gather data through informational interviews, or beneficiary discovery. By the end of the course, student teams will have applied the Lean Startup principles and conducted at least 50 beneficiary interviews and developed solution success and fail criteria while recommending potential solutions.

For DHS employees, involvement in H4HS is a force multiplier for their toughest challenges. By the end of the course, the  DHS employees who submitted problems (Problem Sponsors) are provided with a deep understanding of the stakeholders, pain points, desired outcomes, and potential solutions around their problem.

For students, H4HS represents an unparalleled opportunity to closely work on real-world national security problems with DHS personnel and organizations. This is also an opportunity for students to become aware of DHS career pathways and apply to internships and entry-level positions.