Department of War Cyber Academic Engagement Office

In accordance with the National Defense Authorization Act, the Department of War's Office of the Chief Information Officer established a central office to manage all cyber-related academic engagement. This office provides grants to strengthen, modernize, and expand cybersecurity curriculum, talent, and institutional capabilities.

To achieve its mission of unifying efforts and cultivating talent, the office focuses on several key areas. It supports the development and modernization of cybersecurity curricula at all educational levels, from K-12 through university, and provides professional education to upskill the existing military and civilian workforce.

The office fosters a robust talent pipeline through a variety of experiential learning programs, including scholarships, internships, fellowships, apprenticeships, and competitive cyber challenges. Furthermore, it promotes collaboration and innovation by facilitating research opportunities, hosting seminars and conferences, and developing a shared information infrastructure to support academic and government partners. These comprehensive efforts aim to build a sustainable and highly skilled cybersecurity workforce for the Department.

This assistance listing is for designated partner institutions seeking funding to support capacity building projects. To be eligible to apply for and receive award, institutions must be in good standing, be current on all reporting requirements, and demonstrate a history of successfully executing such grants.

This program creates a wide-ranging, multi-layered ecosystem of beneficiaries designed to strengthen the nation's cybersecurity posture.

The core beneficiaries are Higher Education Institutions (Universities and Colleges), which receive resources to enhance their programs, along with the Educators and Researchers who lead them. This, in turn, benefits Higher Education Students (undergraduate and graduate), who gain access to a premier education and a direct path to high-demand careers.

The benefits extend to the future workforce pipeline, including K-12 Students and Educators, who engage with outreach initiatives that foster early interest in the field. The program's output directly serves the critical needs of Government agencies (Federal, State, and Local) and the Private Sector (from small businesses to large corporations), providing the qualified talent they need to protect their missions. Special consideration is given to creating opportunities for the Veterans and Military Community.

The CAEO program office, in conjunction with the Washington Headquarters Services (WHS) Grants and Cooperative Agreements Branch, holds the final approval authority for all awards. The process for awarding assistance begins are projects have been selected. The CAEO program office and the WHS Grants Branch review the funding applications submitted by the designated partner institutions. Upon final approval, a grant or cooperative agreement is awarded directly to the institution. These Federal resources are then expended at the institutional level. The institution expends the grant funds on the approved project activities. In this manner, the assistance passes through the initial applicant for further distribution to support projects.

The application review process is a multi-stage evaluation designed to ensure a comprehensive and objective selection. Upon submission, all applications will first undergo an administrative review to verify they meet the fundamental eligibility requirements outlined in the solicitation. Proposals that pass this initial screening will then be forwarded to a dedicated review panel composed of subject matter experts in cyber from government, academia, and industry. These experts will rigorously evaluate and score each proposal against the published selection criteria, including the soundness of the methodology, team quality, clarity of deliverables, and cost reasonableness. The panel's final scores and recommendations will be provided to the program office for the final funding decision. For complete and definitive details on the review process and specific scoring rubrics, applicants must refer to the official Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), which will provide additional guidance.