Cybersecurity is arguably one of the most important challenges confronting society in the information age. Neither governments nor individuals are exempt from the ravages of cyber-attacks. However, posing cyber conflict solely in terms of classic attackers and defenders understates the diversity and subtlety of the motivations, incentives, ethics, asymmetries, and strategies of the constituent actors in cyberspace. The intelligent adversary, whether a nation-state actor, an activist group, or a criminal, learns and evolves to exploit, disrupt, and overpower. Addressing the challenge of cybersecurity requires a coordinated multi-disciplinary approach, contributing to the body of knowledge on cybersecurity in multiple disciplines, and leading to practical, deployable technologies. These efforts require an innovative and efficient cybersecurity education system that will create an unrivaled cybersecurity workforce critical to US national security, continued economic growth and future technological innovation in secure cyberspace.
The goals of the CyberCorps SFS program are to increase the quantity of new entrants to the government cyber workforce, to increase the national capacity for the education of cybersecurity professionals, to increase national research and development capabilities in critical information infrastructure protection, and to strengthen partnerships between institutions of higher education and relevant employment sectors. The SFS program welcomes proposals to establish or to continue scholarship programs in cybersecurity. All scholarship recipients 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 duration of the scholarship. A proposing institution must provide clearly documented evidence of a strong existing program in cybersecurity. Such evidence may include ABET accreditation in cybersecurity; designation by the National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C); or equivalent evidence documenting a strong program in cybersecurity. The SFS program also supports efforts leading to an increase in the ability of the United States higher education enterprise to produce cybersecurity professionals.
SFS Scholarships
The SFS program provides funds to institutions of higher education for student scholarships in support of education in areas relevant to cybersecurity. Each scholarship recipient, as a condition of receiving a scholarship under the SFS program, enters into an agreement under which the recipient, upon receipt of their academic degree, agrees to work for a period equal to the duration of the scholarship in the cybersecurity mission of an executive agency (as defined in 5 U.S. Code § 105) or, subject to prior approval, in the cybersecurity mission of:
- Congress, including any agency, entity, office, or commission established in the legislative branch;
- an interstate agency;
- a state, local, or tribal government; or
- a state, local, or tribal government-affiliated non-profit organization that is considered to be critical infrastructure (as defined in 42 U.S. Code § 5195c(e)).
A typical award might be approximately $2-4 million for five years supporting four cohort classes of five students each.
Interested applicants should upload the following documents in sequence in one PDF file (File name: Last name_NSF21-580_2022) no later than 4:00 p.m. on the internal submission deadline:
1. Cover Letter (1 page, pdf):
- Descriptive title of proposed activity
- PI name, departmental affiliations(s) and contact information
- Co-PI's names and departmental affiliation(s)
- Names of other key personnel
- Participating institution(s)
- Number and title of this funding opportunity
2. Project Description (no more than two pages, pdf) identifying the project scope that addresses the key aspects and elements of the sponsor's solicitation, principal investigators, collaborators, and partner organizations. References may be included on an additional page.
3. Estimated Budget (1 page, including cost share details, if applicable)
4. 2-page CV's of Investigators
Formatting Guidelines:
Font/size: Times New Roman (12 pt.)
Document margins: 1.0” (top, bottom, left and right)
Standard paper size (8 ½” x 11)
Questions concerning the limited submissions process may be submitted to limitedsubs@psu.edu.