Proposal submissions due June 20, 2025 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 programs of workforce development that build on the expertise of the higher
education institutions that are members of the CVN network and extend workforce development
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 are particularly interested in projects that expose students to experiences in industry. With this grant, CVN will support programs that are aligned 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. Budgets must be approved in accordance with the home institutions policies for external grants. 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.
Schedule
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| RFP Released | May 28, 2025 |
| Final Day for Q&A | June 11, 2025 |
| Submission Deadline | June 20, 2025 – 5:00 PM |
| Award Notification | By August 1, 2025 |
| Project Period | August 1, 2025 – July 31, 2026 |
Proposal Submission
Proposals must be submitted no later than the close of the business day (5:00pm) on Friday, June 20, 2025. 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 here.
Proposal Guidelines and Evaluation Criteria
For complete details on proposal formatting requirements and evaluation criteria, please refer to the full Call for Proposals document.
Contact Information
For questions on this solicitation or technical assistance with submitting an application, contact
ccicvn@vcu.edu.
