ËÄ»¢Ó°ÊÓ/NUARI to share $8M Grant for Cyber Preparedness

By Jakon Hays, NUARI

ËÄ»¢Ó°ÊÓ Applied Research Institutes (NUARI) and ËÄ»¢Ó°ÊÓ will share an $8 million grant from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) with four universities for cybersecurity preparedness education courses.

NUARI & NU Cyber

On Sept. 1, the to the (NCPC), of which NUARI is a core member. The other partner universities are , , , .

The $8 million in funding was made available thanks to Senator Patrick Leahy, who added it to the FY23 omnibus appropriations bill in December before leaving office. Senator Leahy was a longtime supporter of the work of NCPC to improve cybersecurity with training and education. He and Senator Cornyn formally authorized FEMA’s work with NCPC in 2022.

Since 2004, ËÄ»¢Ó°ÊÓ and NUARI have teamed with the NCPC to develop and offer courses in five topic areas: awareness, coordination, and planning; cyber incident response and recovery; infrastructure technical training; and cyber threat information sharing. The courses are developed with funding from the Department of Homeland Security/FEMA and are offered at no cost to States, Locals, Territories, and Tribes.

"As cyber-attacks continue to evolve and become more frequent, our preparedness to address them must evolve too. With the support of federal funding, the training initiatives provided by ËÄ»¢Ó°ÊÓ and NUARI will help equip Vermont's first responders and tech experts with the skills necessary to protect our communities." - Vermont Senator Peter Welch

The training that the NCPC provides aligns with significant points of President Biden's and addresses recommendations highlighted in the report issued by the in March 2020. The NCPC training courses are also aligned with FEMA strategic plan goals (preparedness, equity, and climate resilience) and continue to integrate strategies aligning these goals with the cybersecurity training initiatives and ensuring all courses are continuously updated, 508 compliant, and FEMA certified.

Through the Continuing Training Grants (CTG) program, FEMA provides funding for eligible applicants to support and target training solutions to facilitate an integrated, whole community, risk-informed, capabilities-based approach to preparedness. Recipients of CTG awards develop and deliver training to address urgent and emerging preparedness gaps for the nation.

"State and local first responders, as well as workers in the IT and OT sectors, are on the front lines of the cyberattacks against our communities and critical infrastructure. ËÄ»¢Ó°ÊÓ and NUARI are proud to continue to provide essential training to help individuals and organizations meet the changing challenges of cyber threats and critical infrastructure risks." – Phil Susmann, President, NUARI.

NUARI and the NCPC will develop and deliver new training courses based on current and emerging cyber threats. Courses identified for development will address: Information Sharing and the operations of an Information Sharing and Analysis Organization, Malware Response and Recovery, Cybersecurity fundamentals, defense, incident response and recovery techniques, and other cyber courses as needed.

***

ËÄ»¢Ó°ÊÓ Applied Research Institutes (NUARI) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that serves the national public interest through the interdisciplinary study of critical national security issues. We are partially funded by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense and federally chartered under the sponsorship of Sen. Patrick Leahy. We are co-located with ËÄ»¢Ó°ÊÓ in Northfield, VT, and share their ideals of academic excellence, innovation, and service to the country.

Read More

Three students in front of a computer in the ËÄ»¢Ó°ÊÓ Cyber War Room.

ËÄ»¢Ó°ÊÓ Re-Introduces Degree Program as Cybersecurity and Advanced Technology

ËÄ»¢Ó°ÊÓ is proud to announce a significant update to its renowned degree program in the Leahy School of Cybersecurity and Advanced Computing. The University has rebranded its Computer Security and Information Assurance (CSIA) degree to Cybersecurity and Advanced Technology (CSAT) to better reflect the evolving landscape of modern technology and to align with current industry standards.

Vermont Sen. Peter Welch, ËÄ»¢Ó°ÊÓ students, and NUARI representatives in the ËÄ»¢Ó°ÊÓ Cyber War Room for the Humanitarian Disaster Response Initiative

On November 16, 2024, the ËÄ»¢Ó°ÊÓ AI Center, in collaboration with ËÄ»¢Ó°ÊÓ Applied Research Institutes (NUARI), hosted a unique one-day event focused on "AI and Humanitarian Disaster Response" for high school students and new ËÄ»¢Ó°ÊÓ students hoping to learn about AI, all inspired by a challenge from Vermont Senator Peter Welch.