CCI Cyber Research Pipeline Program

CCI seeks proposals for two distinct Tracks for the CCI Cyber Research Pipeline Program:

Track A:  Seed grants of up to $50,000 for individual researchers or small teams to develop initial results to increase their success rate in small to mid-range extramural research programs (< $2M grants or contracts).

Track B: Larger grants of up to $120,000 to research teams to develop a full proposal targeting a major extramural funding opportunity (> $2M grants or contracts).

We welcome applications from all researchers, including those researchers and institutions who have yet to engage with CCI or each other. Applications from all eligible people in the commonwealth will be equally considered for funding.

Also differing from past calls, Track B is an open call: proposals may address any cybersecurity topic and are not restricted to a single theme. 

Sections on this page:

• Objectives
• Eligibility
• Unique Requirements
• Awards
• Full Proposal Format
• Proposal Submission
• Evaluation Criteria
• Timeline
• Title Page Format

Objectives

In prior calls, we predicted that Artificial Intelligence-driven attacks would become a real cyberattack modality. That prediction has come true: accidental incidents involving large language models, such as the OpenAI-Hugging Face incident, and purposeful attacks launched by nation-state actors show that AI-driven attacks are now a reality.

This call differs from the 2024 Cybersecurity for AI and AI for Cybersecurity  call in content and in format. Be sure to read the objectives and requirements of Track A, below.

Track A: Theme: "Cybersecurity in the Age of AI" (the focus of this track is on defending against AI-generated attacks and AI-against-AI).

• To produce seminal contributions to AI Defense research targeting the expansion of this research through competitive grants from the federal government, private sector, philanthropic foundations, and other sources.
• To foster interdisciplinary collaboration to produce high-quality research with strong domain knowledge, resulting in a high likelihood of future extramural funding.
• To promote multi-university collaboration, either a co-PI or a "senior advisor" must be identified in one of the other CCI universities. The senior advisor is expected to provide guidance to the project but does not necessarily need to be funded.
• Innovation and/or workforce development aspects are encouraged

Track B: Any topic in Cybersecurity

• Integrated research by multi-institution teams with ambition towards a major extramural grant.
• To foster interdisciplinary collaboration to produce high-quality research with strong domain knowledge, resulting in a high likelihood of future extramural funding.

Special Note: CCI will host a webinar on September 24, 2026, from 2:00-3:00 pm. The webinar focuses on answering questions about Track B, but researchers from Track A are welcome to attend and ask questions as well.

Eligibility

Who Can Serve as Principal Investigator (PI): Researchers and faculty members at public institutions in CCI who are deemed eligible by their home institution to serve as a PI on an external grant are eligible to apply.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Institution: There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Investigator: An eligible researcher can serve as a PI or Co-PI on at most one Track A proposal and at most one Track B proposal.

Senior Advisor Role: A researcher can serve as a "Senior Advisor" on multiple Track A Proposals

Unique Requirements

Proposals must include:

Track A

• How does the PI or Team define success?
• What is the plan and timeline for follow-on funding (programs targeted, pitch to investors, companies, or program managers in federal agencies).
• Initial results presentation and discussion at a workshop held at the 2027 CCI Symposium on April 5-6, 2027, in Charlottesville, Virginia.
• Proposers must indicate which additional funding opportunities from the federal government or industry (e.g., specific calls, agencies or companies that have expressed interest in the work, etc.) they will pursue to build on the research funded by this call. Proposals must identify alternate funding opportunities should the primary opportunity fail.

Track B

• How does the PI and research team define success?
• Plan and timeline for follow-on funding (programs targeted, industry involvement, teaming beyond the seed grant)
• Each team is expected to organize a workshop during the period of performance to expand the original team, discuss potential sponsors, present initial results, conduct working sessions, etc. A senior member of CCI (Executive Director, CTO, Director of Research) is expected to attend the workshop.
• Communications plan: at the conclusion of the 1-year grant, what is the expected outcome and how will it be showcased?
• Budget is expected to go towards faculty time buyout, postdoc/student to help with data collection for the proposal, and travel.
• Main deliverable is a proposal to an existing or anticipated program (e.g., from a federal agency). CCI will organize a red team review to provide feedback on the final deliverable.

Awards

Maximum Award Amount

• Track A; $50,000 per proposal
• Track B: $120,000 per proposals

Proposals must involve multiple CCI institutions (Track A may have a single PI, but then must have a "Senior Advisor" from another CCI institution). CCI cannot award grants to private institutions. Thus, the proposal must include at least two public CCI institutions. Private institutions may participate but cannot be funded by this program.

Award Conditions

Successful applicants are expected to participate fully in CCI activities. Researchers must meet specific conditions by:

• Providing materials needed for reports.
• Participating in CCI meetings.
• Acting as a reviewer for future CCI calls for proposals.
• Responding to data collection requests by CCI relating to the grant.
• Acknowledging CCI support in all publications and presentations resulting from the grant.

The PI is responsible for a final technical report and a final financial report 30 and 60 days following the end of the period of performance.

Full Proposal Format

1. Title page (one page)

• Title of the proposed project, name, affiliation, and contact information for the Principal Investigator (PI) and co-Principal Investigators (co-PIs), and Senior Advisor (if applicable). Find an example of the title page format at the bottom of this page.

2. Proposed Research Project (up to four pages)

Project description.

• Rationale: Discussion of the technical background and engineering/scientific justification. This should include project objectives and the intellectual merit of the proposed work.
• Define Success: How does the PI or Team define success?
• Relevance to CCI and this call: A brief paragraph describing how the project will advance the state of the art in cybersecurity.
• Research plan: What exactly will you do? How will you meet the objectives? What are the motivations, methods, likely outcomes, milestones, and future directions? If you’ll leverage existing CCI assets and equipment to support the research, describe the equipment/assets and how you'll use them.
• Deliverables: Describe the expected deliverables for the project (publications, demonstrations, intellectual property, etc.). See the Requirements section above for more details.

3. 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 proposed research. Outline a plan to pursue this funding. See the Requirements section above for more details.
• Address the potential for commercialization and economic development and impact from this work.

4. References (not included in the page count)

5. Budget

• A detailed budget and one-page justification must be included. Confirm your ability to utilize all potentially awarded funds by December 31, 2027.
• Travel should be included to support the PI's and team members' attendance at the annual CCI Symposium and other CCI events. The next Symposium is expected to take place in April 2027 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
• Indirect costs are not allowed.

6. Biographical sketches: Up to three pages for each investigator, using NSF format

7. Current and pending support for each investigator

• Title of the project, status (current, pending, submission planned, etc.), source of the support, period of performance, total award amount, and the portion of the award attributed to the investigator. 
• Investigators can use a current NSF Current & Pending Support document that contains this information.

Proposal Submission

The proposal must be submitted to CCI Deputy Director John Delaney at jpdelaney@vt.edu on Oct. 12, 2026, by the close of business day (5 p.m. ET). All proposals must be submitted as a PDF with the subject line reading: "CCI FY27 Fall Research Call."

Proposals and budgets should go through the appropriate approval process at the PI’s institution. For example, many universities require researchers to include a proposal and budget approved in the standard Office of Sponsored Programs (or your institution’s equivalent) pre-award procedure. Consult the PI’s node director to confirm the process.

Contact information of CCI node directors:

• Central Virginia: Erdem Topsakal at etopsakal@vcu.edu
• Coastal Virginia: Daniel Takabi at takabi@odu.edu
• Northern Virginia: Liza Wilson Durant at ldurant2@gmu.edu
• Southwest Virginia: Gretchen Matthews at gmatthews@vt.edu

Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation criteria include:

• Substantial intellectual merit related to cybersecurity.
• Relevance to the focus of the call and adherence to the specific requirements of Tracks A and B defined above.
• A clear plan for obtaining future funding from the federal government, the private sector, philanthropy, etc., and the likelihood of being competitive for the programs identified by the PI.
• Substantial broader impacts related to CCI's mission lines of innovation and workforce development.

Specific questions concerning this call for proposals and the requirements herein should be directed in writing to CCI CTO and Research Director Eric Burger at ewburger@vt.edu.

Timeline

Title Page Format Example

CCI Request for Proposals: FY 27 Fall Research Program

Project Title:

Project Abstract (up to 250 words):

Total Requested Amount:

Requested Amount per Institution:

Name, Title, and Mailing Address for Primary Contact at Each Institution Requesting Funding:

Project Investigators:

Download a template of the title page document.

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