2027 Call for Research Proposals

The Commonwealth Cyber Initiative Southwest Virginia Node seeks proposals to further cybersecurity research programs, publish academic findings, and attract external funding.

Objective: The Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) is establishing Virginia as a global center of excellence at the intersection of security, autonomous systems, and data. With a mission to promote research, innovation, and workforce development, CCI serves as a catalyst for the commonwealth’s long-term leadership in this sector through the collaboration of a statewide hub and four regional nodes. The Southwest Virginia Node (CCI SWVA) will consider proposals seeking to mature existing cybersecurity research programs or establish a cybersecurity track within existing research programs with the goal of attracting external research funding.

Research Aims: Proposed research should address pressing cybersecurity issues related to the intersection of data, autonomy, and security spanning CCI SWVA’s primary six research areas:

●      Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)
●      Cryptographic protocols
●      Defense-in-depth cybersecurity solutions
●      Fast, secure, customizable communication systems and technologies (6G/Wireless)
●      Quantum information science

●      Social cybersecurity, including human factors: privacy, ethics, and societal cybersecurity

Proposals beyond these primary research areas will also be considered that demonstrate a strong cybersecurity focus in 1) alignment with external funding trends or 2) in the following priority industries for Southwest Virginia:

●      Advanced manufacturing and advanced materials manufacturing
●      Agriculture, including food and beverage manufacturing
●      Data centers and associated technologies
●      Healthcare, life sciences, and biotechnology
●      Information technology and emerging technologies
●      Logistics and transportation
●      Power, energy, and distribution
●      Space, space communications, and associated technologies

This list is not exhaustive, and CCI SWVA will consider exemplary cybersecurity proposals in other application areas.

Outcomes: Ideal outcomes for this award are A) attracting and securing major funding or awards from non-CCI sources, B) maturing and growing cybersecurity-related research efforts designed to support an increasing number of faculty and student researchers, and C) publishing findings in peer-reviewed journals.

CCI SWVA also values efforts supporting innovation or engagement with regional businesses, cybersecurity workforce development, or job creation. Proposals including these non-research goals will receive additional consideration.

Eligibility: The principal investigator (PI) must be from a public institution of higher education that participates in CCI SWVA and must be deemed eligible by their home institution to serve as a PI on an external grant.

Awards: Anticipated awards will range from $50,000 to $100,000. Budgets must be approved by the home institution or office of sponsored programs (if applicable) prior to the proposal submission. Higher value proposals will be evaluated against the likelihood of outcomes supporting CCI’s mission.

Period of Performance: Awards are expected to be announced in July 2026 to commence August 1, 2026. Periods of performance up to 23 months (ending no later than June 30, 2028) will be considered. Longer duration proposals should include specific milestones for each fiscal year ending in June.

Reporting Requirements: Awardees must provide an annual progress report each year the award is active plus an additional three (3) years following the period of performance to document research results, external funding, and positive innovation or workforce development outcomes that arise due to this seed funding. Annual reports will fall during May/June of each year and will require completion of a prompted questionnaire provided by CCI SWVA.

In addition, a final accounting statement must be delivered to CCI SWVA no more than 90 days after the period of performance concludes. This final accounting statement should list all expenses inception-to-date.

Proposal Format: Proposals must use 1-inch margins, 12-point font, and adhere to the following outline:

1. Title Page (1 page)

• Title of proposed product
• 250-word lay summary
• Names of faculty team members
• Contact information including unit, title, and email address for PI and any Co-PIs
• Total amount requested

2. Project Description (2-3 pages)

• 
  
  Frame the proposed research within a wider program or research area.
  • Include proposed total number of faculty and students impacted.
• Describe the proposed program’s cybersecurity objectives and technical approach.
• Articulate likely sources of continued, non-CCI funding that will be pursued in future years.

3. Budget (1-2 pages)

• Explain how the funding will be deployed to achieve the research objectives.
  • Include a Budget spreadsheet with cost breakdown.
  • Proposed equipment/supplies >$2,000 must be accompanied by justification.
    • Title and ownership will revert to the home institution following the award.
  • Travel to two domestic CCI SWVA research meetings should be included each year.

No indirect costs are allowed. Institutions with an office of sponsored programs must secure that office’s budget approval. Collaborators from outside Virginia are allowed to take part in CCI research, however out-of-state investigators and those at private institutions cannot receive any CCI funding as part of this program.
 
4.  Resume, CV, or NSF-format Biographical Sketch

• No particular format is required, up to 2 pages each for PI and any Co-PIs.

5. Current & Pending Support for PI and any Co-PIs

• Title
• Status of Support: Current, Pending, Planned, or Transfer of Support
• Source of Support
• Project/Proposal Start and End Dates (MM/YYYY), if available
• Total Award Amount (including Indirect Costs)

No particular format is required.

Evaluation Criteria: Format-conforming proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Intellectual Merit (34%)
  • Clear definition of the cybersecurity problem or need
  • Reasonability, achievability, and timeliness of proposed technical approach
  • Potential impact of realistic or likely outcomes
• Alignment and Qualifications (33%)
  • Alignment with CCI research foci or priority application/industries
  • Suitability of team background to proposed work
  • Past performance on CCI SWVA awards and participation at CCI SWVA events
• Impact of Funding (33%)
  • Demonstrated need for requested funding amount
  • Likelihood of securing future, non-CCI funding via proposed approach
  • Projected additional economic impact and regional stakeholder engagement

Proposals which do not conform to format requirements will be returned without review.

Proposal Submission: Proposals must be emailed to CCI SWVA PM Madison Boswell (maboswell@vt.edu) with subject “FY27 Cybersecurity CFP” by the PI institution’s Office of Sponsored Programs or other delegated authority no later than 5:00 pm EDT on Friday, June 5, 2026. All proposals must be submitted as a single PDF document labeled 27_Research_PI last name_PI first name. Submissions will be acknowledged by email response from CCI SWVA.

Please note that the sponsor for this call for proposals is Commonwealth Cyber Initiative Southwest Virginia Node, a Node of CCI distinct from the statewide CCI “Hub.” Please work with your proposal teams to ensure that CCI SWVA is properly identified as the sponsor. Virginia Tech researchers should select CCI SWVA as the sponsor organization in Summit.