"Georgia Tech and PNNL Launch Joint Cybersecurity Institute"

The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) announced the formation of a joint institute, the Institute for Cybersecurity and Resilient Infrastructure Studies (ICARIS), to focus on critical infrastructure cybersecurity innovation. The institute's mission is to be a leading national resource that provides the technologies, testbeds, and talent required to secure the nation's critical infrastructure. Although the scope of the cyber threat against critical infrastructure is understood, capabilities to address the threat are dispersed across numerous organizations, involving various academic, government, and industry stakeholders. Furthermore, there needs to be more qualified personnel who understand both cybersecurity and the underlying physical systems. This collaboration will use the complementary strengths of Georgia Tech and PNNL, catalyze new and exciting research directions, and serve as a national resource for all infrastructure sectors. The primary goals of ICARIS are to perform translational research and development that moves innovative concepts towards implementation into operational environments, develop the future workforce, and provide advice and solutions to communities, states, federal agencies, and businesses. In addition, the institute will provide guidance on technology development roadmaps for critical infrastructure sectors while influencing a whole-of-government cybersecurity approach for these sectors, directly supporting national strategies such as the White House's Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Initiative. According to Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) Director James Hudgens, the partnership will provide a distinct value proposition based on three areas of expertise that Georgia Tech and PNNL can uniquely combine, which include threat intelligence and assessments, deep technical understanding of cybersecurity and engineering domains such as electric power systems, and the ability to translate threat-informed technologies and technical knowledge into operational impact. This article continues to discuss the new collaboration between Georgia Tech and PNNL focused on critical infrastructure cybersecurity innovation. 

Georgia Tech reports "Georgia Tech and PNNL Launch Joint Cybersecurity Institute"