National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence

MITRE Gets $29m For First Cybersecurity Center of Excellence

MITRE Corporation has been awarded $29 million from the U.S. Commerce Department for the nation’s first federally funded National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE), according to a statement by the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (or NIST).

National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence
MITRE will manage the first federally funded National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence. (Photo courtesy of NIST)

The contract charges MITRE with the job of operating the federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) in the areas of research, development, engineering and technical support; operations management; and facilities management. This is the first FFRDC dedicated to enhancing the security of the nation’s information systems, NIST said. 

The NCCoE was established in 2012 in partnership with NIST, the state of Maryland and Montgomery County, Md.  It brings together experts from industry, government and academia to develop  integrated cyber security solutions using existing, commercially available technology.

“As the principal champion of the digital economy in the federal government, the Commerce Department is committed to defending our nation’s digital infrastructure from cyberattacks and helping American companies strengthen cybersecurity,” said In a statementU.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker said the NIST award will enable the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence to expand and accelerate its public-private collaborations. 

The contract currently comprises three projects totaling $29 million with a maximum amount of $5 billion over 25 years, NIST said. Based in Bedford, Massachusetts and McClean, Virginia, MITRE Corp. operates FFRDCs with a focus on systems engineering and integration.

FFRDCs operate in the public interest and are required to be free from organizational conflicts of interest as well as bias toward any particular company, technology or product, NIST said.

Federal staff will provide overall management of the NCCoE, while MITRE will be in charge of operations.

Read more via NIST Awards Contract to MITRE to Support Cybersecurity Center of Excellence.

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