• NIST is awarding nine cooperative agreements to organizations in eight states to address the nation’s ongoing shortage of qualified cybersecurity professionals.
  
• The selected organizations will lead RAMPS projects to align the specific workforce needs of local businesses and nonprofits with learning objectives of education and training providers conforming to the NICE Framework.
• Projects will address local cybersecurity workforce needs and will offer practical learning opportunities including internships, apprenticeships and hands-on projects.

GAITHERSBURG, Md. — The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced more than $1.7 million in cooperative agreements intended to build the workforce needed to protect our nation’s infrastructure and organizations from cybersecurity threats. The nine awards of up to $200,000 each will go to educational and community organizations in eight states to address the nation’s ongoing shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals.

The agreements will be administered by NICE, a NIST-led program that drives collaboration among government, academia and the private sector to advance cyber education and the development of a skilled cyber workforce.

The selected organizations will lead Regional Alliances and Multistakeholder Partnerships to Stimulate Cybersecurity Education and Workforce Development (RAMPS program) initiatives. RAMPS projects aim to align education and training with the workforce needs of local businesses and nonprofits using guidance provided by the NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity (NICE Framework). Their core goals are to increase the pipeline of students pursuing cybersecurity careers, train more Americans for middle-class jobs in cybersecurity and stimulate local economic development and job growth.

“The RAMPS program brings together industry, educational and economic development participants to collectively build a skilled cybersecurity workforce that meets the unique needs of each community,” said Karen Wetzel, director of the NICE program at NIST. “These projects aim to provide long-term impact, helping to grow local economies while protecting against risks in cyberspace.”

Many of the RAMPS projects include curriculum development and provide education and training at the high school, college or professional levels. Others offer practical learning opportunities such as internships, apprenticeships or hands-on projects. Additional efforts include hosting workshops, boot camps, competitions or hackathons. All projects establish community-based partnerships to develop cybersecurity career pathways that address local workforce needs.

With these newly awarded cooperative agreements, there will now be a total of 55 RAMPS communities established across 26 states. The 2026 recipients, the regions they serve, and the amounts awarded are:

Florida Atlantic University
Palm Beach and Broward Counties and the Treasure Coast Counties of Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River
$200,000

Kentucky Community and Technical College
Big Sandy Region of Eastern Kentucky (Floyd, Johnson, Magoffin, Martin and Pike Counties)
$129,311

National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO)
Virginia
$200,000

New Mexico Highlands University
Northern New Mexico
$200,000

Regents of the University of Michigan
Great Lakes Region, Michigan
$200,000

Strategic Ohio Council for Higher Education
Southwest Ohio
$199,995

University of Houston
Houston, Texas
$199,735

University of Tennessee
East and Central Tennessee
$199,714

Wright State University
Southwest Ohio
$199,889