The Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has plans to establish a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC). This will be the first FFRDC solely dedicated to enhancing the security of the nation’s information systems. The FFRDC mechanism for the first time will allow a nonprofit organization such as NIST’s “National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence” (NCCoE) to support FFRDC. This public-private collaboration is expected to accelerate the widespread adoption of integrated cybersecurity tools and technologies.
This public-private collaboration will bring together experts from industry, government, and academia under one roof to develop practical and interoperable cybersecurity approaches to address the real world needs of complex IT systems.
By using integrated tools and technologies to protect IT assets, NCCoE seeks to improve the use of IT communications, data, and storage systems, lower the risk for companies and individuals using IT systems, and encourage the development of innovative job-creating cybersecurity products and services. The proposed NCCoE FFRDC partnership will be involved in research development, engineering, provide technical support, and establish relationships with private sector organizations.
This information was published in the April 22, 2013 Federal Register (page 23744) to solicit the public to submit comments on the proposed FFRDC. Written comments must be received by July 22, 2013. Send comments by email to Keith Bubar, contracting Officer NIST, at keith.bubar@nist.gov. After three notices are place in the Federal Register and comments are reviewed, a Request for Proposal will be posted on FedBizOpps in the fall of 2013.