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U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced a $42 million wireless project on Feb. 12 at the Virginia Tech Research Center – Arlington. CCI is a key partner in the project and hosted the event. Photo by Craig Newcomb for Virginia Tech
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A Message from the Executive Director
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Dear <<First Name>>,
We’re excited to start working on a $42 million wireless innovation project funded by the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund and led by our industry partners AT&T and Verizon.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced the funding of the Acceleration of Compatibility and Commercialization for the Open RAN Deployments (ACCoRD) Project, a consortium of U.S. carriers, foreign carriers, universities, and equipment suppliers. CCI is a key partner in this project, and we hosted the announcement event at the Virginia Tech Research Center in Arlington, with the presence of U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Senator Mark Warner, Representative Don Beyer, and executives from the partner institutions.
The CCI xG Testbed, based at Virginia Tech in Arlington, will be the Washington, D.C., area home of a testing, evaluation, and research and development center for the project. Aloizio P. DaSilva, CCI xG Testbed director, will lead Virginia Tech’s team for this project.
This is the fifth project from the Innovation Fund’s first round of funding that has involved CCI researchers and their expertise in open radio access networks (O-RAN). Our investment in O-RAN, specifically in the CCI xG Testbed, is paying off. Virginia researchers and students are at the forefront of learning how to design, deploy, run, and secure O-RAN networks.
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CCI Impact Award nominations close Feb. 28
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The nomination window for the CCI Impact Award is closing fast — the deadline is Feb. 28. The award recognizes an individual, team, group, or organization who, through their CCI activities, conducted breakthrough cybersecurity research or innovation or developed a creative means to improve cybersecurity workforce opportunities for our industry partners and students.
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Microsoft Project-Based Learning Program – application period opens Feb. 26
We’re partnering with Microsoft in a Project-Based Learning Program that utilizes the Flipper Zero, a portable multi-tool device. The experiential learning project will run from June 3 to Aug. 2, 2024. Recruitment begins Feb. 26 and closes March 22.
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CCI helps grad students climb the cybersecurity career ladder
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Graduate students in CCI Southwest Virginia have learned how CCI programs help launch their careers. Our excellent workforce development programs, both statewide and regional, are helping build the cyber workforce. CCI offers numerous research presentation opportunities, entrepreneurial guidance, and more.
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Cybersecurity Traineeship application deadline – March 15
Run in partnership with Northern Virginia Community College, the Cybersecurity Traineeship
program is part of a larger effort to develop data analytics and cybersecurity expertise in the
Virginia workforce.
The program’s goal is to train participants without previous cybersecurity experience, preparing
them for an entry-level role in the field of cybersecurity in Virginia. While a job in cybersecurity
is not guaranteed, the program will advance participants towards the goal of finding
employment in the field.
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Students from across Virginia gather at CyberForge
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Virginia’s cybersecurity students are actively building their careers, while creating informative events and making connections. CyberForge 2024 is a great example. The Coastal Virginia Cybersecurity Student Association hosted the event earlier this month at Tidewater Community College, drawing 150 students from across the state.
George Mason University’s Mason Competitive Cyber team scored highly in the competition, winning first, second, and fourth place.
“Winning a Virginia-wide competition is pretty good news by itself,” said Mason’s Cyber Security Engineering Department Chair Paulo Costa. “CyberForge is especially important due to the quality of the teams, the level of effort every team and associated organizations/universities put into it, and the impact it has in the Virginia cybersecurity space."
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Addressing Inclusion and Accessibility in Cybersecurity Research Program – Proposals due March 1
With our first Addressing Inclusion and Accessibility in Cybersecurity program, we want to address research challenges involved in inclusion and accessibility in cybersecurity.
Some program objectives include producing seminal research contributions to address inclusion and accessibility issues that are specifically related to cybersecurity, in addition to using the program’s seed funding to pursue continuation of the awarded project’s impact through extramural funding opportunities.
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CCI Southwest Virginia: Workforce & Industry Engagement Program – Proposals due March 8
Learn more about workforce development and startup engagement from this CCI Southwest Virginia program. Workforce development: summer funding for graduate students or undergraduates engaged in research and/or innovation projects. Startup engagement: funds to engage students or faculty with startups. Your company must have operations in Virginia and must be specified in the proposal.
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CCI Experiential Learning Program Call for Proposals opens March 25
Our workforce development programs give students the skills they need to land jobs in cybersecurity. Our popular Experiential Learning Program will begin receiving proposals on March 25. We’ll prioritize projects that provide students with workforce experience, and the program must involve students at more than one CCI institution.
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I enjoyed meeting with researchers and leadership from CCI Central Virginia and learning about their work and strategic goals. The Science Museum of Virginia is an amazing setting to discuss the future of cybersecurity and Virginia’s role in it.
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We have a lot happening. Go to our website to learn more about our programs in workforce development and innovation as well as our ever-popular calls for proposals. You also can learn more about our regional nodes – Central, Coastal, Northern, and Southwest.
All the best,
Luiz DaSilva
Executive Director
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