The Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity (CLTC) has released our sixth annual request for proposals (RFP), through which UC Berkeley-affiliated researchers are invited to apply for funding for the 2021 grant term.
“CLTC believes that a transformative research agenda which addresses the most interesting and complex challenges of the socio-technical security environment that will evolve over this coming decade is needed to advance this mission,” the RFP explains. “In our sixth annual request for proposals (RFP), we will fund research on a wide range of digital security issues, and we encourage researchers from a variety of disciplines to apply.”
Proposals may seek up to $25,000 in funding. Awards for projects that pursue an exploratory study, a capstone project, a small pilot or other means of ‘prospecting’ a problem area are more likely to be funded under $10,000. Awards for more mature projects with defined boundaries, clear outcomes, and anticipated impact are more likely to be funded in the $15,000-$25,000 range. Proposals for renewal funding for projects previously supported by CLTC will be considered in this category.
CLTC will consider proposals in all domains relevant to cybersecurity. The openness of that statement is intentional, as we continue to expand the range of disciplines and types of expertise and knowledge that can be brought to bear. As an indication, CLTC’s range of previously supported projects include (but are not limited to) work that addresses:
- Cyber talent pipeline, human capital, and education
- Security implications of artificial intelligence and machine learning
- Cybersecurity governance and regulatory regimes
- Protecting vulnerable individuals and organizations online
- Security implications of emerging technologies (e.g 5G Networks, Quantum Computing)
- Political, market, and legal ‘shapers’ of cybersecurity outcomes
- Behavioral and ‘usable’ cybersecurity
- Cybersecurity representations, culture, and public dialogue (including art of any medium)
- Cybersecurity in the health sector
We especially welcome proposals that address both technical and non-technical components, although it is not required. This RFP is limited to proposals from graduate student researchers, both individuals and teams. All proposals must have a Project Lead who will be enrolled in a graduate degree at UC Berkeley during the grant term January-December 2021.
Researchers interested in learning more about the kinds of projects we fund are invited to attend the annual CLTC Research Exchange. CLTC’s 2020 Research Exchange will be a series of online events in October, November, and December. Registration for the first event of the series is now open here.
