Cybersecurity R&D Needs More Focus and Better Coordination

Created by Rodney J. Petersen (EDUCAUSE) on September 24, 2009

The House Science Research Subcommittee unanimously approved legislation this week that would support cybersecurity research and development. The bill would require the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and the National Science Foundation to work together to develop a long-range research and development agenda that would authorize grants and scholarships for training in cybersecurity.

Providing context to the committee's markup of the "Cybersecurity Research and Development Amendments Act of 2009", Chairman Daniel Lipinski (Dem., IL) remarked:

The subcommittee has held a series of hearing examining the state of cybersecurity R&D. At these hearing witnesses emphasized the need to better coordinate and prioritize the federal R&D portfolio, to improve partnerships between the federal government and the private sector, and to train an IT workforce that can meet the strategic needs of our country and to keep Internet users safe from cybercrime.

The amendments call for:

A Cybersecurity Strategic Research and Development Plan - based on an assessment of cybersecurity risk to guide the overall direction of Federal cybersecurity and information assurance research and development for information technology and networking systems.
A University-Industry Task Force - to explore mechanisms and models for carrying out collaborative research in cybersecurity.
Expansion of the Cybersecurity Workforce - requiring an assessment of needs and providing scholarships and fellowships to students to pursue advanced degrees in cybersecurity-related fields.
Expansion of NSF's Trustworthy Computing Program - reauthorizing the program and expanding it to include a new emphasis on research into the social and behavioral aspects of cybersecurity.

Chairman Lipinski also observed that "the strategic plan will contain a description of how the program will transfer technology from our national labs and universities to industry, and how our federal R&D objectives complement, rather than duplicate R&D occurring in the private sector."

The legislation is now referred to the full committee.

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		Cybersecurity R&D Needs More Focus and Better Coordination Created by Rodney J. Petersen (EDUCAUSE) on September 24, 2009 The House Science Research Subcommittee unanimously approved legislation this week that would support cybersecurity research and development. The bill would require the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and the National Science Foundation to work together to develop a long-range research and development agenda that would authorize grants and scholarships for training in cybersecurity. Providing context to the committee's markup of the "Cybersecurity Research and Development Amendments Act of 2009", Chairman Daniel Lipinski (Dem., IL) remarked: The subcommittee has held a series of hearing examining the state of cybersecurity R&D. At these hearing witnesses emphasized the need to better coordinate and prioritize the federal R&D portfolio, to improve partnerships between the federal government and the private sector, and to train an IT workforce that can meet the strategic needs of our country and to keep Internet users safe from cybercrime. The amendments call for: A Cybersecurity Strategic Research and Development Plan - based on an assessment of cybersecurity risk to guide the overall direction of Federal cybersecurity and information assurance research and development for information technology and networking systems. A University-Industry Task Force - to explore mechanisms and models for carrying out collaborative research in cybersecurity. Expansion of the Cybersecurity Workforce - requiring an assessment of needs and providing scholarships and fellowships to students to pursue advanced degrees in cybersecurity-related fields. Expansion of NSF's Trustworthy Computing Program - reauthorizing the program and expanding it to include a new emphasis on research into the social and behavioral aspects of cybersecurity. Chairman Lipinski also observed that "the strategic plan will contain a description of how the program will transfer technology from our national labs and universities to industry, and how our federal R&D objectives complement, rather than duplicate R&D occurring in the private sector." The legislation is now referred to the full committee. Washington Update \| Cyber Security Research and Development Act \| Cybersecurity \| Policy and Law: Federal Rodney's blog Login or register to post comments 65 reads
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