WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and U.S. Representative Becca Balint (VT-At-Large) announced $250,000 in federal funding has been released from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which will support the Norwich University Applied Research Institutes (NUARI) and their work to advance cybersecurity research and innovation. NUARI will use the funds to bolster domestic manufacturing by developing an advanced cybersecurity system to better detect vulnerabilities and potential threats. 

Senator Welch and Representative Balint identified and secured funding for the project through the Congressionally Directed Spending process.

“Keeping manufacturers safe from cyberattacks is crucial to our national economic security.  Supporting initiatives like NUARI’s innovative research to develop better cyber threat detection is vital to protecting our manufacturers and boosting industrial competitiveness,” said Welch and Balint. “We’re proud to have helped secure these NIST funds to increase the cybersecurity resilience of domestic manufacturers across the country.”

“This NIST funding will help NUARI drive cybersecurity innovation, protecting our nation’s manufacturers from evolving threats. We’re grateful for Senator Welch and Representative Balint’s support in this critical effort,” said Phil Susmann, President of NUARI.

The funding to NUARI’s Operational Technology Advanced Cyber Architecture initiative will support development of an advanced cybersecurity strategy to fortify the security of small-medium manufacturers’ industrial control systems, which are increasingly susceptible to cyberattacks. This initiative aims to preemptively detect vulnerabilities and potential threats before they impact the physical manufacturing process. The initiative also aims to foster knowledge sharing among cybersecurity professionals and industry stakeholders to promote adopting best practices and standards in operational technology cybersecurity.

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