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. 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 areas identified below, Outreach to the Department of Defense
(DoD) and Outreach to Academia. Funding is limited to $100,000 (or less) per CAE. Hence,
proposal submissions should present practical and beneficial activities with a level of effort
aligned to this modest level of funding.
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
established 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 the Department of Defense (DoD): Supports proposals to increase
collaborative activities between the DoD and the CAE and partner institutions. Proposals
should include activities designed to increase student knowledge of DoD-centric
operations, and cultivate skills in the areas of DoD priority focus such as information
assurance, information technology, operating securely in mobile environments,
cybersecurity, and cloud computing. The proposed activities should provide students
with hands-on, real-world opportunities to use and/or develop IA skills and knowledge,
with a goal to share information with DoD on key findings, pilot results, or research that
relates to existing DoD programs and operations.
a.
Activities that may support proposals in this area include (but are not limited to):
i. Outreach to DoD organizations and installations with a targeted focus ((e.g.,
research, IA program development, pilots) on cloud computing, mobility,
cybersecurity, IA and IT).
ii. Faculty Development: Provide experiential learning opportunities for CAE,
partner, and Minority Institutions (MI)1 faculty and students in appropriate
academic topics including, but not limited to: digital forensics, cyber defense,
software assurance, secure networking; and/or to develop scenario-based
exercises and simulation tools.
iii. Lab/Technology Development: Provide labs and equipment that may be
accessible by other institutions (i.e., partner institutions and MIs) to share
resources; develop lab exercises, or test software and tools.

1

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.

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2.

iv. Curriculum Development: Develop curriculum and toolsets for critical IA
topics such as: cybersecurity, secure programming, cloud computing, mobility,
and information technology program management.
Activities may also support outreach to the DoD wounded warriors, returning
veterans organizations and programs which help transition military employees to
non-military positions through training and education in the IA, IT and
Cybersecurity fields; and to support development of IA, IT and cybersecurity
training for the National Guard Bureau.

Outreach to Academia: Support for proposals to increase the pipeline of students in
the areas of IA, IT, and Cybersecurity. The proposed activities should strengthen IA
education programs, increase CAE student participation in projects, initiatives and
research, through outreach to academic institutions that will benefit from collaborative
partnerships.
a.
Activities that may support proposals in this area include (but are not limited to):
i. Outreach to Minority Institutions (MI): The recent outreach to community
colleges resulted in the successful CAE/2Ydesignation of several of these
institutions. This year, a goal of increasing the number and types of MIs with
the CAE designation is a priority outreach focus. Proposed activities may
include collaborative partnerships with CAEs and MIs with the objectives of
improving MI IA educational programs, faculty and curriculum development, or
access to facilities and tools supporting IA education. Proposal responses
should include the short-term objectives and expected long-term benefits of the
collaborative partnerships with MIs.
ii. Outreach to other universities and colleges, technical and community
colleges: Mentor/provide advisory support to technical and community college
partners who aspire to obtain CAE or CAE/2Y designation status and/or are in
geographic proximity to the CAE to serve as a source of transferring students
into the CAE IA program.
iii. Outreach to high school students interested in IA careers, as evidenced by
participation in cyber competitions, IA/ IT clubs or academic programs. Partner
with MIs, technical, community colleges, and other local community
organizations to support experiential learning/training, mentoring and/or other
programs that ultimately support building the high school student pipeline for
the future.
b.

Activities that may support proposals for Outreach to Academia via partnerships
with minority institutions, universities, colleges, technical and community colleges
as well as high schools include:
i.
Curricula development: Activities may include workshops to review and
adapt existing curricula, new IA course development activities, or lab exercise
development. The goal of these activities is to strengthen the ability of the
CAE to sustain a standard of excellence in IA education; thus allowing the
CAE to introduce new course content or broaden existing IA course offerings
beyond the CAE to the reach the broader academic community.
ii. IA Faculty Development: Activities may include opportunities to enhance
faculty knowledge and skills (including, but not limited to: faculty workshops
to develop train the trainer sessions, toolkits, exchanges with partner and

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iii.

minority institutions, technical and community colleges, and/or hands-on
training in IA/IT education).
Facility and tools development: Opportunities to develop facilities and tools
to enhance IA education and access to resources for the CAE, partner
institutions, and the broader community.

II. ANNEX II TECHNICAL PROPOSALS (See Technical Proposal Template)
In proposing support for capacity building activity, CAE technical proposals to ANNEX
II must clearly state the focus area for the proposal submission as either Outreach to DoD or
Outreach to Academia. The proposal must also clearly address the following:
1. The intellectual merit of the proposed activity to include:
a. The broader impacts resulting from the proposed activity to include how the funding
will benefit the students, the CAE, the community and/or the DoD.
b. The specific elements of the Scholarship Program that will be enhanced or
strengthened by the requested support.
c. The impact to the Scholarship Program and to the CAE of not receiving the support
requested.
2. The proposal must provide an overview of the project and proposed activities, the
expected short-term outcomes and long-term benefits; and a statement addressing the
qualifications of the CAE to meet the stated objectives of the proposed activities.
III. ANNEX II COST PROPOSALS (See Cost Template)
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 for each of the two focus areas may be submitted. In
order to be considered, the capacity building initiative proposed must be accompanied by a
separate cost proposal.
IV. EVALUATION CRITERIA
The ANNEX II “Proposal for Institutional Capacity Building” will be evaluated
separately from the rest of the CAE/ Institution’s proposal 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; 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/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 and should be made
available across other disciplines within the CAE and/or to academic and community partners.

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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 all equipment purchases.
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.
V. TIMELINE
All Annex II proposals are due to the IASP Program Office by February 28, 2013.

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