DoD Information Assurance and Scholarship Program (IASP)

ANNEX II

Institutional Capacity Building

CAEs may, but are not required to, address this section of the solicitation with a separate ANNEX II to their proposals titled “Proposal for Capacity Building.” Funds for ANNEX II may be awarded only if the institution submits a qualified basic proposal and/or ANNEX I as appropriate. Specific projects should be identified and addressed separately. This submission will be evaluated separately from the CAE’s basic proposal in response to the broader solicitation. While scholarships will be funded prior to any capacity building, approximately $1,000,000 will be set aside for capacity building.

You may submit one proposal for each of the focus areas identified below. The total proposal submission per CAE should not exceed $100,000. As a result, all proposal(s) submitted should clearly articulate the expected benefits and impact to the Department of Defense (DoD) and/or the broader community.

I. OVERVIEW

In accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2200b, CAEs may request modest support for building the institution’s capacity for research and education in information assurance. The DoD has determined two focus areas for this opportunity. Proposals submitted should reflect opportunities for the CAE students to participate and gain additional understanding of IA, IT and Cybersecurity as it relates to the extended community and DoD. The two focus areas are:

1. Outreach to Academia: Middle and High Schools, Technical and Community Colleges, and/or Minority Institutions¹.

1. Purpose: To increase the pipeline of students in the areas of IA, IT, and Cybersecurity. The goal should be to build stronger education programs in these areas to advance the state of the nation and to grow and expand the pool of qualified candidates for future employment.

2. Activities that may support proposals in this area include:

   1. Laboratory equipment² purchase and/or installation and lab exercises to be provided at non-CAE institutions. These activities would afford the students from the different academic populations to gain: hands-on experience; a better understanding of the IA, IT, Cybersecurity career fields an increased awareness of the potential security threats and vulnerabilities and knowledge on improving the security posture for themselves and others around them.

   2. IA curriculum development for these populations,

   3. IA faculty development, and/or

   4. Faculty and student research in information technology/security in order to develop a strong foundation for an Information Assurance Program.

2. Outreach to the DoD: Support on-going DoD programs and projects, strongly encouraging CAE student participation.

1. Purpose: To increase the knowledge and skills of students in the areas of IA, IT, and Cybersecurity. The goals should include providing students hands-on, real-world opportunities, while improving existing DoD programs and projects. Activities that may support proposals in this area include (but are not limited to):

1. Outreach to DoD organizations and installations in the area of exercises and labs that improve their ability to train and educate their IA/IT and Cybersecurity workforce;

2. Outreach to the DoD Wounded Warriors and returning veterans organizations and programs, which help transition military employees to non-military positions through training and education is the IA, IT and Cybersecurity fields..

3. Support to the National Guard Bureau to improve their ability to train and educate their IA/IT and Cybersecurity workforce.

2. Activities that may support proposals in this area include:

8. Faculty Development: Provide experiential learning opportunities for IA faculty and students (i.e., hands-on training in the appropriate academic topics identified in Section II. Terminology and/or including ethical hacking, SCADA, penetration testing, digital forensics and social engineering); develop scenario-based exercises and simulation tools.

9. Lab/Technology Development: Provide labs and equipment that may be accessible by other departments and institutions (i.e., to test software and/or provide hands-on instruction)

10. Curriculum Development: Develop curriculum and toolsets for critical IA topics such as: cybersecurity, secure programming, SCADA, and ethical hacking, that may be downloaded or offered as shared modules; develop a security awareness module for cross-departmental and community use.

3. ANNEX II Technical Proposals: (See Template also) In proposing support for capacity building activity, CAE technical proposals to ANNEX II must provide a clear statement as to which of the two focus areas they are addressing. The proposal must also clearly address the following:

1. The intellectual merit of the proposed activity.

2. The broader impacts resulting from the proposed activity to include articulating how the funding will benefit the students, the CAE, the community and/or the DoD.

3. The specific elements of the Scholarship Program that will be enhanced or strengthened by the requested support.

4. The impact to the Scholarship Program, the CAE and potentially the broader community if the support is not received.

4. ANNEX II Cost Proposals: Cost proposals supporting ANNEX II should be submitted separately and should detail salaries, materials, equipment, and related direct and indirect costs for supporting the capacity building initiative(s) proposed. CAEs are advised that the request shall be limited to $100,000 or less in total. No more than one proposal per focus area may be submitted. In order to be considered, the capacity building initiative proposed must be accompanied by a separate cost proposal. A template has been provided to prepare the cost proposal.

II. EVALUATION CRITERIA

The ANNEX II “Proposal for Institutional Capacity Building” will be evaluated separately from the rest of the CAE’s proposal package using the following criteria.

A. The merits of the proposed capacity building initiative(s) and their contributions to laying a strong foundation for the IASP are fully described. The elements of the program should be clearly articulated; and the institution must have a defined process to promote the IASP to its students and deliver high quality scholarship candidates (if applicable).

B. The CAE’s current academic programs and proposed enhancements provide significant benefits to potential IA Scholarship students and support DoD mission needs. The CAE should identify key activities (e.g., programs, forums or partnerships with DoD, other government agencies, academia or private industry that enhance its IA/IT academic credentials and contribute to faculty,staff, and student awareness and experiences in current IA/IT trends. Requested research funding should align with DoD areas of interest and provide meaningful learning opportunities for both faculty and IASP students. Lab activities and curricula enhancements should provide students with critical IA skills and knowledge. Diversity of student population and potential scholarship applicants should be supported through student demographics and partnerships with historically under-represented colleges and universities.

C. The costs of the proposal have been clearly articulated. Cost summations should be provided for 1) Total Funding Request for the Proposal; 2) Funding Request per Initiative. Additionally, each initiative must have costs identified for each relevant cost category (labor, equipment, travel, etc.). Estimates should be provided for single equipment purchases over $5K. All costs are realistic and reasonable.

D. There are factors that will reduce the total evaluation score (if applicable). Those factors are:

1. Failure to provide adequate administrative and/or academic support to current IASP students enrolled at the CAE institution.

2. Failure to properly invoice for previous IASP funding received.

3. Failure to submit annual DoD IASP Grant Reports as required.

III.TIMELINE

All Annex II proposals are due to the IASP Program Office by February 28, 2011.

1 The U. S. Department of Education reference for minority institutions is located at: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/edlite-minorityinst-list-tab.html and the United States code 20 U.S.C. 1067k refers to the term "minority institution" as an institution of higher education whose enrollment of a single minority or a combination of minorities include: American Indian, Alaskan Native, Black (not of Hispanic origin), Hispanic (including persons of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Central or South American origin), or Pacific Islander.

2 The use of “Virtual” labs and/or proven models is acceptable and desired for efficiency where appropriate ( e.g. “Capture the Flag” and Cyber Defense type challenges, etc.)

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05 October 2011