Call for Proposals: CVN Workforce Development Grant FY25 Application

Due Date:

June 14, 2024, 5:00 p.m.

Objective

The Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) is establishing Virginia as a global center of excellence at the intersection of security, autonomous systems, and data. With a mission of research innovation and workforce development, CCI serves as a catalyst for the Commonwealth’s long-term leadership in this sector through the leadership of a central hub and four regional nodes. The Central Virginia Node (CVN) is led by Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).

CVN seeks to support workforce development programs that build on the expertise of higher education institutions that are members of the CVN network, extending opportunities aligned with CCI to students across the Commonwealth. The objective is to enhance students’ essential skills to enter the cybersecurity workforce once they finish their current studies. We’re particularly interested in projects that expose students to experiences in the industry. This grant supports programs that align with CCI’s overall mission and CVN’s focus areas.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants are researchers and faculty members at institutions of higher education in CVN who are deemed eligible by their home institution to serve as a Principal Investigator (PI) on an external grant. Each faculty member may submit up to two proposals (one as a PI and one as a co-PI). Their home institution must be a member of the CVN network. Each proposal must include a co-PI from another institution within CVN[1]. Budgets must be approved in accordance with the home institutions policies for external grants. Women, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.[2] We also encourage researchers who have not previously been funded by CCI to apply. However, PIs or co-PIs who are currently funded through CCI or CVN on three or more projects at the time of this award are not eligible to apply. I.E. PIs or co-PIs should have no more than three CCI or CVN projects running concurrently.

Awards

  • Amount of Funds to be Awarded: $150,000
  • Maximum Award Amount: $50,000
  • Match: No match is required for this funding announcement. 
  • Award Details: Awardees will receive $50,000 that can be used to support workforce development programs.

Awardees will be required to submit periodic reporting. PIs and co-PIs are expected to participate in CVN meetings, respond to data collection requests by CCI, and may be asked to present their research at other CCI engagements as required.

Any publications that result from this project must include the following statement (contract numbers will be assigned during the award process): 

This work was supported [in part] by the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative, an investment in the advancement of research, innovation, and workforce development at the intersection between cybersecurity, autonomous systems, and intelligence, under the contract number xcxxx. For more information about CCI, visit www.cyberinitiative.org.

According to the terms under which CCI is funded, the following costs are not allowable:

  • Costs of developing and delivering undergraduate capstone programs, except as part of the larger effort to align cyber and cyber-physical systems security-focused undergraduate program content with industry needs.
  • Portion of salaries and benefits of faculty for time spent teaching undergraduates, including teaching cyber-related courses. However, effort required for the PI to complete the proposed project is allowable.
  • Scholarships for costs of attendance at institutions of higher education. However, Tuition reimbursement for graduate students is allowable.
  • Indirect costs (IDC) 

Schedule

  • Request for Proposals Released: May 17, 2024
  • Last Day for Q&A: June 7, 2024
  • Proposal Deadline: June 14, 2024, 5 p.m.
  • Award Notification: Prior to August 1, 2024
  • Project Dates: August 1, 2024 – July 31, 2025

Proposal Format

Proposals must use 1-inch margins, 11 point (Calibri or arial) font, and single line spacing. Proposals submitted in the wrong format or missing items will be deemed incomplete and will not be considered.  The following outline should be followed:

1. Title Page (See template; 1 page)

  • Title of proposed project, contact information for Principal Investigator (PI) and coprincipal Investigators (co-PIs).

2. Proposed Program (up to 3 pages)

  • Description of the project: Problem description/Need Statement, objectives, methodology, milestones, and timeline.
  • Past performance (if applicable): description of methodology, scale, success, and lessons-learned from prior iterations of project
  • Discussion of the alignment of the project with CCI objectives and CVN focus areas.
  • Measures of success: key performance indicators, how success will be measured and tracked.

3. Target student population and pre-requisites for student participation (up to 2 pages)

  • Methods to recruit and ensure successful participation of students throughout CVN.
  • Any measures taken to improve participation by under-represented groups (women and under-represented minorities). 
  • Note: For the purposes of this program, “student” means individuals enrolled at institutions of higher education in the CVN network.

4. Budget (See template; 1 page)

  • Budget items and justification 
  • Budget must include requested amount  
  • Budget must be approved by OSP, or other office as determined by institutions’ internal policies

5. Biographical Sketches (See template; 3 pages)

  • Required for PI and co-PIs.

Proposal Submission

Proposals must be submitted via the CVN jotform (CCI CVN Proposal Form) no later than the close of the business day (5:00pm) on Friday, June 14, 2024. All proposals must be uploaded to the jotform as a single PDF document. Proposals received after the deadline will not be considered. The CVN proposal jotform can be found at: https://vcu.jotform.com/team/engineering/CCICVN_ProposalForm.

Evaluation Criteria

The applications received in response to this RFP will be evaluated by a panel of reviewers and scored according to the following criteria:

Intellectual merit 

  • Alignment with CCI mission and CVN focus areas, including preparing students to enter the cyber workforce, and to help Virginia retain that workforce. 
  • Added value to Commonwealth students. 
  • Clear performance and evaluation metrics proposed for the project. 
  • Track record of the team involved and likelihood of achieving the stated goals.

Impact 

  • Impact to the competitiveness of the Commonwealth in workforce development at the intersection of cybersecurity, autonomy, and data. 
  • Long-term scalability of the program. 
  • Cost per student involved in the training. 
  • Improvements in diverse and inclusive representation. 
  • Quality of the workforce development component of proposal.

Contact Information

For questions on this solicitation or technical assistance with submitting an application, contact ccicvn@vcu.edu.


Templates

Title Page Template – Click Here
Budget Template – Click Here
Biographical Sketch Template – Click Here


[1] CVN institutions include John Tyler Community College, Longwood University, Piedmont VA Community College, Reynolds Community College, University of Richmond, University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia State University, and Virginia Union University.

[2] National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. 2021. Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering: 2021. Special Report NSF 21-321. Alexandria, VA: National Science Foundation. Available at https://ncses.nsf.gov/wmpd.

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