In Star Trek II, what project creates the Genesis Device?

In Star Trek II, Project Genesis creates the Genesis Device. The project is a Federation scientific program designed to transform lifeless matter into a living, habitable environment, while the device is the technology used to trigger that transformation.

Dr. Carol Marcus leads the research team at the Regula I space station, working with her son David Marcus and other scientists. The device is tested on a barren world, where its effect rapidly reorganizes the planet's surface and produces the Genesis Planet.

A common mix-up is treating “Genesis” as only the device or only the planet. In the film, Project Genesis is the broader research effort; the Genesis Device is its powerful instrument, and the Genesis Planet is the resulting world. Khan steals the device and activates it after his defeat, creating the film’s climactic explosion.

The Genesis concept also drives the next movie, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, where Starfleet restricts discussion of the technology because of its military and political implications.