USC Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT)
A University Affiliated Research Center founded in 1999 and sponsored by the U.S. Army. ICT conducts applied R&D at the intersection of artificial intelligence, computer graphics, mixed and virtual reality, human-centered AI, learning sciences, modeling & simulation, geospatial visualization, and medical/therapeutic virtual humans. The institute develops prototyping middleware and toolchains, runs human-subject evaluations, and collaborates with government, industry, and academic partners to transition technologies for training, health, and decision-support.
Industries
N/A
Nr. of Employees
small (1-50)
Products
Rapid prototyping environment for real-time simulation
A middleware platform combining game-engine features with APIs and reusable blueprints to support fast prototyping of real-time modeling and simulation for training and research contexts.
Open-source virtual human toolkit for embodied conversational agents
An open toolkit and runtime pipeline for building embodied conversational agents that integrates sensing, speech, NLP, behavior generation, and supports deployment to web, mobile and head-mounted displays.
Biopharmaceutical Marketing
An intensive, industry-focused master's degree program designed to prepare graduates for careers in biopharmaceutical marketing, market research, analytics, business intelligence, and healthcare policy within a highly regulated environment.
Biopharmaceutical Marketing Certificate
A certificate program designed for professionals across the healthcare industry, clinical professionals, and those in allied fields to expand their understanding of biopharmaceutical business practices and marketing.
Healthcare Decision Analysis
The Healthcare Decision Analysis (HCDA) Certificate program gives students the tools and knowledge to succeed in healthcare data analytics, international access and reimbursement, product pricing, value assessment, and competitive business intelligence.
PharmD/Certificates in Regulatory Science
Graduate certificates offered by the Department of Regulatory & Quality Sciences that can be integrated with the PharmD curriculum.
Rapid prototyping environment for real-time simulation
A middleware platform combining game-engine features with APIs and reusable blueprints to support fast prototyping of real-time modeling and simulation for training and research contexts.
Open-source virtual human toolkit for embodied conversational agents
An open toolkit and runtime pipeline for building embodied conversational agents that integrates sensing, speech, NLP, behavior generation, and supports deployment to web, mobile and head-mounted displays.
Biopharmaceutical Marketing
An intensive, industry-focused master's degree program designed to prepare graduates for careers in biopharmaceutical marketing, market research, analytics, business intelligence, and healthcare policy within a highly regulated environment.
Biopharmaceutical Marketing Certificate
A certificate program designed for professionals across the healthcare industry, clinical professionals, and those in allied fields to expand their understanding of biopharmaceutical business practices and marketing.
Healthcare Decision Analysis
The Healthcare Decision Analysis (HCDA) Certificate program gives students the tools and knowledge to succeed in healthcare data analytics, international access and reimbursement, product pricing, value assessment, and competitive business intelligence.
PharmD/Certificates in Regulatory Science
Graduate certificates offered by the Department of Regulatory & Quality Sciences that can be integrated with the PharmD curriculum.
Services
Collaborative research and development programs under the UARC model supporting DoD sponsors and other government agencies, including multi-party projects and technology transitions.
Provision of a rapid prototyping middleware environment to government entities and contractors under government-purpose rights or licensing arrangements to accelerate simulation R&D.
Collaborative research and development programs under the UARC model supporting DoD sponsors and other government agencies, including multi-party projects and technology transitions.
Provision of a rapid prototyping middleware environment to government entities and contractors under government-purpose rights or licensing arrangements to accelerate simulation R&D.
Expertise Areas
- Virtual humans and embodied conversational agents
- Modeling and simulation for training
- Mixed reality and medical virtual reality
- Human-centered AI and explainable AI
Key Technologies
- Machine learning and generative models
- Large language models (LLMs)
- Speech recognition and text-to-speech
- Real-time 3D rendering and game-engine integration
News & Updates
Featured in the Defense Research Enterprise Review for technology transitions and collaborative partnerships; report notes ICT accounted for 72 technology transitions and maintained over 50 active partnerships.
Announcement that the virtual human toolkit platform is publicly available on GitHub and supports web, iPhone, Android, and head-mounted displays; documents vendor-agnostic integrations and options for local-only runs.
Published study examining how newcomers and experienced AI users form rapid impressions of virtual humans, with implications for design and deployment of caregiver-support virtual agents.
Announcement of a $200M philanthropic gift to support interdisciplinary AI research and the establishment/renaming of a School of Computing and AI that will support cross-cutting work in AI and health.
Profile and retrospective of a long-term ICT researcher who led projects in virtual humans and explainable AI and retired from a senior research role.
Description of a multi-AI editorial framework and workflow that increased research communications throughput and discoverability while preserving human editorial oversight.
Featured in the Defense Research Enterprise Review for technology transitions and collaborative partnerships; report notes ICT accounted for 72 technology transitions and maintained over 50 active partnerships.
Announcement that the virtual human toolkit platform is publicly available on GitHub and supports web, iPhone, Android, and head-mounted displays; documents vendor-agnostic integrations and options for local-only runs.
Published study examining how newcomers and experienced AI users form rapid impressions of virtual humans, with implications for design and deployment of caregiver-support virtual agents.
Announcement of a $200M philanthropic gift to support interdisciplinary AI research and the establishment/renaming of a School of Computing and AI that will support cross-cutting work in AI and health.
Profile and retrospective of a long-term ICT researcher who led projects in virtual humans and explainable AI and retired from a senior research role.
Description of a multi-AI editorial framework and workflow that increased research communications throughput and discoverability while preserving human editorial oversight.