Call for Proposals: Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure, with Special Interest in Data Centers

The security and resilience of critical infrastructure remain paramount in the face of progressively sophisticated cyber threats. From data centers to energy grids and transportation systems to water utilities and communications, these interconnected systems form the backbone of economic stability, public safety, and national security. Many critical infrastructue systems, such as emergency systems, power grids, transportation, and banking and financial systems rely on the security of data centers.A cyberattack on a data center or associated infrastructure has potential to shut down essential services, placing lives, public safety, and national security at risk.

CCI NoVa Node is seeking applications of cross-discplinary expertise to these challenges and more.

Objectives of this call include:

• To produce seminal contributions to our understanding of cybersecurity in the context of critical infrastructure, especially data centers and associated infrastructure;
• To facilitate the impact of multiple disciplines on cybersecurity challenges in the context of critical infrastructure;
• To position NoVa Node researchers to be competitive for government and industry funding of research to fortify and secure cyber systems and address their role in critical infrastructure, especially data centers, as well as the resiliency of associated systems.

Schedule

Eligibility

Who May Serve as PI: Researchers and faculty at CCI NoVa Node public institutions, who are deemed eligible to serve as a Principal Investigator (PI) on an external grant are eligible to apply.

Proposals which take a multi-disciplinary approach are encouraged, as are proposals from researchers who have not previously engaged with CCI.

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI: An eligible researcher may participate on at most 2 proposals in this call, and may submit at most 1 proposal as the Principal Investigator.

Expressions of Intent: Principal investigators (PIs) intending to submit a proposal must send a brief email Expression of Intent to Submit Proposal to novacci@gmu.edu by May 20, 2026. This email Expression of Intent should contain:

• The name and email of the PI
• The primary R&D topic (e.g., draft working title of proposal, if known) addressed by their planned proposal, described in 4 - 8 sentences.

Awards

Total Amount of Funding for this Program:

$600,000

Maximum Award Amount:

$100,000 per proposal

Award Conditions:

Successful applicants are expected to participate fully in the activities of CCI – including providing materials as needed for periodic reports, participation in CCI meetings, and responding to data collection requests by CCI. All publications and presentations resulting from the grant should acknowledge support from the Northern Virginia Node of the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative.

Proposal Format

1. Title Page (one page)

Title of the proposed project, and the name, affiliation, and contact information for Principal Investigator (PI) and co-Principal Investigators (co-PIs), if any. 

2. Proposed Research (up to four pages)

• Rationale: Discussion of the technical background, previous findings, scientific, and commercial justification for the R&D. This should include project objectives, outcomes, and intellectual and commercial merit of the proposed work.
• Research Plan: What exactly will be done? How will the objectives be met? What are the processes, strategies, methods, studies, testing, trials, or development activities required, and milestones and deliverables for the project? IP and other trade secrets may be protected in this narrative, but sufficient information must be provided for reviewers to assess the feasibility and merit of the scope of the project with the time and resources requested
• Deliverable(s): Summarize the expected deliverables for the project (technology, algorithm, process, testing results, proof of concept, demonstration, intellectual property, policy, or guidance etc.). Ensure that deliverable(s) can be achieved given the quantity of resources provided and the period of performance.
• Plan for Additional Funding and Impact on the Commonwealth (up to one page): Identify one or more specific opportunities for additional funding to expand the research proposed here and outline a plan for pursuing this funding. Also address potential for commercialization and economic development/impact from this work.

3. References (not included in the page count)

4. Budget (not included in the page count):

A detailed budget spreadsheet must be included, as well as a budget justification. Please follow the proper process within your home institution to formulate and submit budgets as part of the proposal process. A summary of required categories for the budget are provided in the Appendix of the Call for Proposals. The Period of Performance for this grant is August 1, 2026 – July 31, 2027. Please note that Facilities & Administration (F&A) costs are not allowed.

5. Biosketch (up to two pages for each academic institution investigator, using NSF format)

Proposal Submission

The Expression of Interest must be submitted by email to novacci@gmu.edu by no later than close of business day (5:00 pm) on May 20, 2026. The full proposal must be submitted to novacci@gmu.edu no later than close of business day (5:00 pm) on June 5, 2026. All proposals must be submitted as a single PDF attachment, file name called: CCI Infrastructure PIName.pdf to an email with subject line: CCI Infrastructure Research Call.

Evaluation Criteria

Priority will be given to proposals with:

• Relevance to cybersecurity in the context of critical infrastructure, especially data centers;
• Feasibility and soundness of project plan in terms of achieving objectives with requested and any contributed resources within the period of performance;
• Strength and relevance of academic expertise and any proposed contributions of academic partners to R&D project goals and deliverables;
• Economic impact on Commonwealth of Virginia.

Contact Information

For questions regarding this Call for Proposals should be submitted in writing to novacci@gmu.edu.