NSF Engines Development Award: Advancing cyber security technologies in the Central Savannah River Area (GA, SC)

This Regional Innovation Engines Development Award is focused on the area along the Savannah River, spanning several counties in Georgia and South Carolina with the center in the greater Augusta region. The technical themes of the effort are the related areas of cybersecurity, cyber-physical systems, edge computing, and the Internet of Things. The confirmed partners include Augusta University (lead institution), Georgia Cyber Center (GCC), University of Georgia, Clark Atlanta University (CAU), Augusta Technical College, Army Cyber Command (ARCYBER), Savannah River National Laboratory, Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), Trideum Corporation, Bigbear.AI, and the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). The region is well positioned for a future NSF Engine in this technical area because of aligned interests of major government entities, the recent consolidation of ARCYBER in Augusta, academic partners that support vital programs in cybersecurity and related areas, and a growing number of private companies. The region of service currently has a relatively low socio-economic status at the current time, and this award can have a transformative impact on the area.Cybercrime costs and the value of security services are increasing rapidly, so cybersecurity is critical for the Nation. Moreover, as computing has become ubiquitous in various devices around us, there is an ever-growing attack surface to defend, implying opportunities for significant economic activity. The components of this award include: 1) Use-Inspired Research - the academic partners have built relationships with government and private agencies, including aligning research with needs of ARCYBER and SRNL. The relationships will be expanded to include other government and private partners through events and interactions and by supporting paid internships for students at local small businesses. 2) Workforce Development - the focus will be on expanding enrollments in existing programs at the universities and two-year colleges in the area, sharing materials across different academic partners, and entrepreneurship training. 3) Transition to Practice: Strengths of partners (IEDC, CAU, and GCC) will be used to help transition research to practice and foster new businesses, especially for minorities and veterans. An economic scan conducted by IEDC will also help guide future actions. The proposed integration among the partners, together with growing workforce development and synergistic activities to support businesses, will prepare the team for a full NSF Engine in two years.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.