Fourteen higher education institutions will receive new funding to prepare students for careers at the intersection of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced today. The foundation’s CyberAICorps Scholarship for Service (CyberAI SFS) program will fund university programs that integrate AI and cybersecurity education, workforce training and career pathways to state, local and federal government jobs that address national security needs.
A news release from NSF said the funded universities will develop or maintain programs that combine technical training with hands-on experience, including research opportunities, cyber laboratories, virtual training environments, internships and partnerships with government and industry.
The first cohort of 14 awardees includes projects from universities in 11 states: Arizona State University, Augusta University in Georgia, California State University San Bernardino, Michigan Technological University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Old Dominion University in Virginia, Texas A&M University, University of Central Florida, University of New Haven, University of Rhode Island, University of West Florida, the University of Texas at Dallas, the University of Texas at El Paso, and Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.
“Through the CyberAICorps Scholarship for Service program, NSF is investing in the talent needed to secure today’s digital infrastructure and AI-enabled technologies and advance the nation’s capacity to meet evolving cybersecurity threats,” Acting NSF Director Brian Stone said in a public statement.
According to NSF’s website for CyberAI SFS, awards fall into two categories: the Scholarship Track and the Innovation Track. In the former, universities can receive up to $2.5 million to support AI- and cybersecurity-focused scholarships for service programs, which offer tuition support in exchange for post-graduate work in the public sector. The latter provides up to $500,000 for programs that improve preparation of AI and cybersecurity professionals through education and partnerships.
As an example of the Scholarship Track, Vanderbilt University received $2,449,463 for a doctoral program that will support research on trustworthy AI, AI-enabled cyber defense and agentic AI systems. Vanderbilt’s program will include internship opportunities with federal agencies and national laboratories, according to the award documentation from NSF.
At the University of Central Florida, another selected project received $1,955,351 for undergraduate and graduate training in AI and cybersecurity. Documentation on NSF’s website said the program will focus on exposing students to cybersecurity challenges in defense and space.
The new Innovation Track is a recent addition to the CyberAI SFS, formerly called the CyberCorps Scholarship for Service initiative until being renamed earlier this year. That program has existed since 2001.
With the expansion of CyberAI SFS, NSF is responding to the growing role of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity operations and risks. This comes at a time when AI is assisting the exploitation of cybersecurity vulnerabilities as well as automating aspects of cyber defense.
