Imperial College London's Centre of Excellence for Active Security and Resilience (CARS) is committed to understanding and addressing the challenges of insecurity that act across multiple levels of society. These challenges stem from a variety of sources, including environmental, natural/biological, social, physical, and cyber domains. Often, these vectors converge and collide, amplifying the risks we encounter. 

A recent United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Report states that “the world is on track for more than one disaster a day by 2030, […] we are to be hit harder by more catastrophes colliding in an interconnected world”. It underscores the pressing reality that we are navigating a world where catastrophes increasingly intersect, creating a web of interconnected challenges. Transnational events like the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and recent energy shocks demonstrate the interconnected nature of these threats. They call for comprehensive interventions and measures to bolster society's resilience and security. 

CARS is dedicated to laying the groundwork and establishing the knowledge base that will enable society to meet these challenges head-on. In alignment with the College's vision, the Centre is the flagship initiative within the Resilient Societies strand of the Academic Strategy. Our core mission revolves around promoting and supporting Active Resilience and Security. This entails a continuous process of adaptation, learning from adversity, and applying those lessons to become progressively more resilient and robust. 

By harnessing the power of transdisciplinary research and innovation, CARS leverages an understanding of the multi-systemic nature of the threat space. This understanding is crucial due to the growing interdependencies among society's critical capabilities. CARS benefits from Imperial College’s diverse strengths including system-of-systems thinking and understanding of hyper-complexity and takes on a leading role in convening all relevant stakeholders to precipitate a step-change in societal resilience and security and address questions such as; what are the tools, methods and policy needed to be better prepared to withstand, recover, and build back better from major disruption? How are the essential elements of society, government, security, and the economy supported and sustained each day? 

CARS is dedicated to shaping a future where resilience and security are not just buzzwords but fundamental attributes of our society, ensuring that we are well-prepared for the challenges that lie ahead. 

To get in touch, please contact Anna Friman at: resiliencecentre@imperial.ac.uk