Priya PatelTLDR:
– The U.S. Department of Education allocated $15 million to six university-based electric power cybersecurity centers.
– The centers will focus on energy security research and cybersecurity education programs.
Key Points:
Six university-based electric power cybersecurity centers received $15 million in funding to foster energy security research and provide cybersecurity education programs, the U.S. Department of Energy announced Thursday. The university programs will work with energy sector owners and operators, vendors and the Department of Energy’s National Laboratories. These partnerships are intended to support the cyber centers to research cybersecurity capabilities of each region’s electricity system, network of infrastructure and workforces. The six universities selected to receive this funding are The University of Connecticut, Iowa State University, the University of Pittsburgh, the Illinois Institute of Technology, Texas Tech University and Florida International University.
The Director of the Department of Energy’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response, Puesh M. Kumar, stated that this investment in university-based cybersecurity centers will enable the growth of the U.S. cyber workforce and build expertise to tackle evolving cyber threats to the nation’s energy systems. This move is seen as a way to advance economic and national security by leveraging cutting-edge research and a highly skilled workforce.
Overall, the allocation of funding to these university-based cybersecurity centers is aimed at enhancing energy security research, providing cybersecurity education programs, and addressing cyber threats facing the nation’s energy systems. The collaboration between universities, energy sector stakeholders, and national laboratories is expected to yield advancements in cybersecurity capabilities for the electricity system infrastructure.
