Applications Invited for Build Partner Capabilities to Protect Critical Advanced and Emerging Technologies

Follow us@ngobox

About the Organization

The Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation (ISN) prevents and rolls back the spread of WMD, delivery systems, and advanced conventional weapons capabilities; protects U.S. critical and emerging technology; and promotes the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, science, and technology. In close collaboration with other bureaus within the State Department, other U.S. agencies, and a diverse range of international and non-governmental partners, ISN further tracks, develops, and implements effective policy responses to proliferation threats and shapes the international security environment to prevent their recurrence.

About the Grant

Many advanced and emerging technologies have dual-uses and are being sought by adversaries to lower barriers to developing or delivering WMD and advanced conventional weapons as well as enable technological, military, and economic advancement. A significant number of international public and private research organizations, tech industries, and start-up communities are unaware of dual-use applications of critical advanced and emerging technologies and remain vulnerable to theft and loss of critical advanced and emerging technologies, data, intellectual property (IP), knowledge and talent that can be leveraged for military end uses. Malign actors use legal and illegal means such as mergers and acquisitions, joint commercial ventures, talent recruitment programs, research partnerships, cybertheft, state-sponsored industrial espionage, supply chain diversion, or sales or donation of untrustworthy hardware and software to acquire foreign intellectual property and data to advance key priorities.

Objectives

• Raise awareness in tech and research communities of dual-use applications of technologies. Plan and organize sectoral and cross-sectoral trainings, workshops, and roundtables for government policymakers, university administrators, researchers, tech companies, startups, and entrepreneurs in ISN/CTR partner countries to increase awareness of dual use applications of advanced and emerging technologies and methods used by malign actors to acquire such technology, data, and intellectual property.
• Establish or improve national and institutional level research security and integrity policies and practices. Plan and organize trainings, workshops, roundtables, fellowships, study tours, and grant programs for government policymakers, university administrators, technology transfer officers, academic legal counsels, admissions officers, researchers, and students to develop national and institutional level research security strategies, policies, and frameworks to strengthen the ability of higher education institutions to institute student, scholar, and faculty vetting programs, identify predatory talent programs and scientific conferences, and conduct due-diligence on foreign research collaboration proposals to safeguard valuable and sensitive research, data, and intellectual property. Support, expand, and leverage the ISN/CTR established regional research security consortiums and local champions to further these efforts. Develop and share risk assessment, due diligence, and planning tools for institutional level research security and technology with ISN/CTR partner countries. Plan and organize engagements to help priority institutions establish dedicated oversight offices to ensure continuous monitoring and regular security audits.
• Increase intellectual property protection during international research collaborations. Plan and organize trainings for academic and private sector stakeholders in ISN/CTR partner countries to identify predatory contracting language and unfair IP rights that force technology transfer during international collaborations and agreements.
• Enhance institutional data security measures to mitigate cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Plan and organize trainings, risk assessments or other types of capacity building to secure critical and sensitive technological information, intellectual capital and IP at foreign institutions (academic and private industry) targeted by malign actors to mitigate both insider and outsider threats through robust personnel management, cybersecurity and information security practices, security enhancement grants, or hardware/software procurement. Provide cyber hygiene training to scientists, engineers, managers, and security officers in academic and 7 private sector institutions. Provide technical training to information technology and information security staff on incident detection, prevention, management and response. Conduct cyber security vulnerability assessments at tech companies and research institutions.
• Improve due diligence best practices to secure technology supply chains. Plan and organize trainings or workshops to enhance due-diligence efforts, know-your-customer practices, and risk management for ISN/CTR partner country technology companies and foreign entities involved in financing, procuring, or distributing critical technology to secure technology supply chains. Plan and organize trainings or workshops to train startups and technology companies to conduct due diligence on investors to prevent technology diversion and install user-level controls.
• Provide risk assessment tools to reduce vulnerabilities when procuring technology to be used in smart cities and critical infrastructures. Plan and organize trainings, workshops, and other engagements to build cybersecurity capacity and enable ISN/CTR partner country national, city, and private industry stakeholders make risk informed decisions when adopting smart city technologies.
• Promote responsible innovation in emerging technology communities, and with youth, and women and minority scientists, engineers, and policymakers. Plan and organize training, workshops, and other engagements to promote responsible innovation in emerging technology communities and create a culture of security by developing events to enable youth, women, and minority scientists, engineers, and policymakers to become technology protection champions.
• technology transfer threats to enable ISN/CTR partners to better understand risk and develop best practices. Create tools that contribute to a research security toolkit for ISN/CTR partners as they strengthen research security practices, which 8 could include AI/machine learning risk assessment tools, due diligence tools to reduce time needed to investigate linkages between research collaborators, investors, and institutions with military entities, tools to assist with developing institutional level technology control plans and dual-use screening, open-source platforms for reporting research and IP theft, or resources to help institutions respond to research security incidents.
• Developing creative solutions for AI Safety and Security. Engage countries leading in AI research and development on safe and secure AI development and use for government, industry and startups, and academic stakeholders. Raise awareness of dual-uses of AI, which could include delivering security related modules during AI training programs, educating AI developers on risks of using untrusted foundational models, providing due diligence tools to evaluate investor military linkages and affiliations, and educating researchers to mitigate exploitation of their talent. Plan and organize projects to leverage AI for nonproliferation applications.

Eligibility

U.S.-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations with or without 501(c) (3) status of the U.S. tax code; foreign-based non-profit organizations/non-government organizations (NGO); Federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs); public International Organizations; Foreign Public Organizations; U.S.-based private, public, or state institutions of higher education; foreign-based institutions of higher education, and U.S. for-profit organizations or businesses.

How to Apply

Applications are due no later than 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST), on 17  January 2025 on grants.gov under the announcement title “Build Partner Capabilities to Protect Critical Advanced and Emerging Technologies” funding

opportunity number “DFOP0016988”

For more information please check the Link

Tags Research Public Policy/ Policy Others