Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


U Illinois to Lead Planning Efforts on Network of Cybersecurity Tech Institutes

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 11/06/20

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has received a $2 million grant to develop a plan for creating a national network of technical institutes focused on cybersecurity. The goal of the network is to address the cybersecurity workforce shortage in the United States, which was estimated to be 299,000 in 2017.

The award was issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to the Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute (CIRI), housed at the university.

CIRI, established in 2015 by DHS, is a consortium of universities and public- and private-sector partners led by the university. Its focus is to create networks in academia for research and education that enhance the resiliency of the nation's critical infrastructures and the businesses and public entities that own and operate those systems. CIRI is one of 10 centers of excellence managed by the DHS Science and Technology Directorate.

For the current project CIRI will work with several other institutions, including Auburn University, which hosts the McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security; Purdue University, which hosts the Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security (CERIAS); and the University of Tulsa, which runs the Institute for Information Security (iSec). Together, the schools will do research and collaborate in developing a consolidated plan that uses an academic hub-and-spoke model to create a national network of cybersecurity institutes for educating and training people in cybersecurity practices.

"CISA sees the growing cybersecurity workforce shortage in the United States as a national security risk," said Bryan Ware, CISA assistant director of cybersecurity, in a statement. "With our government and private sector partners, CISA is striving to 'secure tomorrow' by preparing, growing and sustaining the nation's cybersecurity workforce."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Abstract neural network 3D illustration

    Intel® AI EmpowerED: The AI-Ready Campus, Delivered

    Artificial intelligence is transforming higher education, prompting institutions to rethink how they manage infrastructure, security, governance, and workforce readiness. Successful adoption requires a strategic, institution-wide approach that aligns AI initiatives with educational goals, faculty enablement, and scalable operational frameworks.

  • Robot typing on fluorescent keyboard

    The Wrong Battle: Why Your Institution's AI Policy Is Probably Solving the Wrong Problem

    The conversation on most campuses has become consumed with detection: How do we catch students using AI when they shouldn't? The impulse to protect academic integrity is legitimate, but the detection-first approach has a fatal flaw.

  • Neon blue security locks with a single red highlight

    AI Shifts Cybersecurity Focus from Finding Flaws to Fixing Them

    For decades, one of cybersecurity's most difficult challenges has been finding vulnerabilities before attackers do. A growing number of security professionals now say artificial intelligence is changing that equation, shifting the focus from discovering flaws to fixing them quickly enough to prevent exploitation.

  • humanoid robot with circuit board background

    Meta Expands into Physical AI with Acquisition of Robotics AI Startup

    Meta Platforms has acquired Assured Robot Intelligence (ARI), a robotics artificial intelligence startup focused on humanoid systems, as the company expands its AI work beyond software and into models that could help robots operate in physical environments.