The proposal outlines the research foundation for the state of new york goal of promoting cyber preparedness and addressing the cybersecurity needs at state and federal levels

This federal Project Grant award, funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) under the Congressionally-Identified Projects program (CFDA 11.617), provides $1,250,000.00 to the Research Foundation for the State University of New York (RF-SUNY) to create a virtual reality-based training platform for cybersecurity incident response. The key activities include designing and developing a prototype virtual reality training environment that can simulate cyber-attacks and defenses, enabling both technical and non-technical personnel to engage in immersive cybersecurity exercises. Over the 24-month project period from February 2025 to January 2027, the research effort will focus on creating the virtual reality training platform, conducting internal and external testing, and making the final product publicly available to enhance the cyber readiness of state and local governments, as well as private organizations.

Activities

The project will consist of four main work packages which will span over a period of 24 months, which are named in the proposal as (1) studio design, leadership and administration, (2) cyber-incident response research, (3) immersive exercise design, development, delivery, and (4) immersive technology demonstrator (VR). The proposal also breaks down the three phases for the crest virtual reality training experience (VRTE) platform: (1) over the course of 10 months, create a requirements document and design a prototype for the VRTE platform, (2) from months 11 to 18, subject the prototype VRTE platform to internal functionality testing and develop a revised version of the prototype, and (3) execute an external test of the VRTE platform using a simulated cyber-incident response exercise that will provide the feedback necessary to create the final version 3 of the VRTE platform, which will be made available to the public.

Expected outcomes

The creation of the vrte will enhance the cyber readiness of the state of new york as well as other state governments and the private sector.

Intended beneficiaries

The intended beneficiaries of the creation of the crest are cybersecurity professionals working in state and local governments and private organizations.

Subrecipient activities

There are no planned subawards.