National Science Foundation Grant: Community College Cyber Pilot for Cybersecurity Workforce Development

To protect America’s economic prosperity and security in the 21st century, the nation needs an innovative and efficient cybersecurity education system that will produce an unrivaled cybersecurity workforce as well as a cybersecurity-literate citizenry. Community colleges play an important role in these efforts by offering degrees and industry-recognized credentials that prepare students to fill high-demand cybersecurity jobs. In recognition of this role, NSF supports skilled technical workforce programs atcommunity collegesto develop skills necessary for the Nation’s cybersecurity missions.

In addition, section 1649A of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (NDAA18) has authorized the National Science Foundation, in coordination with the Office of Personnel Management, to develop and implement a Community College Cyber Pilot (C3P) program as part of NSF’s CyberCorps®: Scholarship for Service (SFS) program. Specifically, NDAA18 authorizes scholarships for eligible students who:

1. are pursuing associate degrees or specialized program certifications in the field of cybersecurity; and
2. (A) have bachelor’s degrees or
   (B) are veterans of the Armed Forces.

In response to the NDAA18, NSF will accept proposals to develop, implement, support, and evaluate C3P projects in this pilot effort. This new category of CyberCorps® SFS scholars will satisfy criteria and receive the benefits consistent with the CyberCorps® SFS program requirements (https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=504991) and must work after graduation for a Federal, State, Local, or Tribal Government organization in a position related to cybersecurity for a period equal to the length of the scholarship.

To advance the mission of the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR; https://www.nsf.gov/ehr/about.jsp), NSF encourages projects that will generate new knowledge about effective cybersecurity education, re-skilling workers to meet cybersecurity needs, preparing nontraditional students to reenter the educational system, increasing the diversity of the cybersecurity workforce, using applied research experiences to build skills and competencies for real-world scenarios, and building effective collaborations between educational institutions, business, industry, and government. Investigating some of these issues in conjunction with a novel educational program for the scholars may enhance the impact of the pilot projects.

Proposals submitted in response to this Program Description should follow the proposal preparation instructions in Chapter II of NSF’s Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG; https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=papp).

We anticipate holding a webinar to address questions related to this opportunity on Tuesday, May 29, 2018, 3:00-4:00 PM EDT. Instructions on how to participate will be posted on the CyberCorps® SFS program page (https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=504991). Additional webinars will be scheduled as needed and will also be advertised onthis site.