Virtual Institutes for Cyber and Electromagnetic Spectrum Research and Employ (VICEROY)

I. Introduction:Section 1640 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 authorized the Secretary of Defense to carry out a “Program to Establish Cyber Institutes at Institutions of Higher Learning for purposes of accelerating and focusing the development of foundational expertise in critical cyber operational skills for future military and civilian leaders.”  The intent of this Special Notice is to solicit input via proposals from academia on how best to meet this goal. The Griffiss Institute (GI), on behalf of the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and in collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory, is seeking proposals from prospective or existing consortia of institutions of higher learning detailing how their constituent members would collaborate in the formation of a new Virtual Institute (VI) that will provide high-impact, experiential learning opportunities capable of imbuing students with the needed

skills.  These proposals will be considered for potential funding via a Collaborative Project Order for technology transition under an existing Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) with the GI.  Accordingly, please note this is not a Government Request for Proposals and the GI will be responsible for executing any sub-award transactions with institutes based on Government input stemming from responses to this special notice.  The GI will also execute student internships or cooperative (co-op) student arrangements.The complete language of NDAA FY19 Sect. 1640 is included in an appendix of this notice.a. EligibilityAny prospective or existing consortium of institutions of higher learning must have at least one Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program among their constituent members to be eligible to respond to this special notice.Each proposing group shall designate a lead institution who will communicate on behalf of the consortium throughout the proposal process, to include the initial submission; the lead institution will be responsible for the contractual relationship with its consortium members.  It is highly recommended that this lead institution be classified as having “high” or “very high” research activity per the Carnegie Classification of Institutes of Higher Education, i.e. an R2 or R1 designation, and a demonstrated history of successfully conducting research under government contract.Additional preference will be given to consortiums whose membership includes institutions holding a “Cyber Research” designation from the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) program managed by the National Security Agency.Individual institutions may not appear in more than one consortium proposal.b. Anticipated Structure and Award InformationUp to two consortium awards may be made per region, as defined by the NCAE-C program[1].  The region of a proposal will be determined by the location of the lead institution.  The total number of awards and total number of institutions funded will vary based on selected proposals and available funding.Each consortium, which includes the lead and all constituent institutions, is advised that all VICEROY awards will contain the requirement for government review and approval of any/all publications, news releases, advertising, and other materials intended for public release. There shall be no exception to this requirement.It is recommended that proposers limit themselves to no more than five (5) partner institutions.  Proposals should detail a 24-month base period covering both the instantiation of the Virtual Institute as well as the execution of its provided activities and opportunities over that time frame.  The cost for this base period should not exceed $1,500,000.Proposals should also include an estimate for sustaining their Virtual Institute beyond this base period, expressed as a recurring 12-month option period not to exceed a cost of $500,000.  Sustainment plans should include contingency options for continuity, to include industry partnership or leverage of other U.S. government programs, should sustainment funding not be available through the DoD. c. Due Date/TimeFull Proposal Deadline:  1 March 2023 EDTComplete proposal packages should be submitted directly to the GI by means of the VICEROY program web portal at: https://www.griffissinstitute.org/what-we-do/viceroy.  For questions or issues related to the submission process, please contact the Point of Contact listed in Section V below.II. Topic Overviewa. ObjectiveThe VICEROY program is intended to increase the quantity and quality of students who possess job-ready DoD cyber and electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) operational skills upon graduation, and are eligible for a U.S. government security clearance.  The approach is to augment traditional college curricula by providing hands-on, experiential learning opportunities that are uniquely tailored to match the workforce demands of the Armed Services, Department of Defense, and the American Defense Industrial Base.In addition to the required program elements enumerated in NDAA FY19 Sect. 1640(c), each Virtual Institute under the VICEROY program should strive to achieve three key objectives:Provide an enhanced pipeline for future cyber leadersIncrease diversity in the cyber workforceStand as recognized leaders in technology areas of critical importance to our National Defense Strategy, the DoD Cyber Strategy, and the DoD Electromagnetic Spectrum Superiority Strategyb. DescriptionProposals must clearly demonstrate how the proposed Virtual Institute will deliver the required program elements as follows:(1) Programs to provide future military and civilian leaders of the Armed Forces or the Department of Defense who possess cyber operational expertise from beginning through advanced skill levels. Such programs shall include instruction and practical experiences that lead to recognized certifications and degrees in the cyber field.(2) Programs of targeted strategic foreign language proficiency training for such future leaders that:     (A) are designed to significantly enhance critical cyber operational capabilities; and     (B) are tailored to current and anticipated readiness requirements.(3) Programs related to mathematical foundations of cryptography and courses in cryptographic theory and practice designed to complement and reinforce cyber education along with the strategic language programs critical to cyber operations.(4) Programs related to data science and courses in data science theory and practice designed to complement and reinforce cyber education along with the strategic language programs critical to cyber operations.(5) Programs designed to develop early interest and cyber talent through summer programs, dual enrollment opportunities for cyber, strategic language, data science, and cryptography related courses.(6) Training and education programs to expand the pool of qualified cyber instructors necessary to support cyber education in regional school systems.VICEROY Virtual Institutes are faculty-led, multi-institution, multi-year research endeavors that specifically target cyber and electromagnetic spectrum operations challenges of interest to the Department of Defense. Virtual Institutes are encouraged to augment these research efforts with complementary course curricula developments.  Additional experiential learning opportunities in the form of student internships and co-operative student arrangements in partnership with national industry and government facilities will be executed and funded by the GI.It is expected that Virtual Institutes will leverage existing resources already available at their educational institutions to the greatest extent possible.  Proposals that include cost estimates for material purchases should make clear what new research and educational capabilities are being enabled by such purchases.  Similarly, proposals should make clear what labor costs are being used to support all staff, including faculty, administrative, advisory, or supervisory staff. Student benefits, including stipends and scholarships, should be clearly-defined; matching the intent of the motivating Congressional language. VICEROY students should be primarily drawn from the Virtual Institute’s collective pool of contracted students who have committed to complete the Basic and Advanced courses of ROTC, but Virtual Institute activities and opportunities should be made available to non-contracted cadets and their DOD-aspiring, civilian student counterparts as well.  VICEROY is intended to serve undergraduate students, but we welcome participation of graduate students, especially in the capacity of providing additional mentorship of undergraduate students and stewardship of research efforts.In line with our key objective of increasing diversity in the cyber workforce, we strongly recommend that each proposal consider the value of strategic partnership with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Minority Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Under Resourced Schools.VI’s are encouraged to propose STEM Outreach activities that provide opportunities for students of all ages to learn from and to interact with VI researchers who are actively contributing to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) research fields.III. Evaluation CriteriaProposals must clearly demonstrate how the following all of the required program elements from NDAA FY19 Sect. 1640(c) will be achieved:(1) Programs to provide future military and civilian leaders of the Armed Forces or the Department of Defense who possess cyber operational expertise from beginning through advanced skill levels. Such programs shall include instruction and practical experiences that lead to recognized certifications and degrees in the cyber field.(2) Programs of targeted strategic foreign language proficiency training for such future leaders that:     (A) are designed to significantly enhance critical cyber operational capabilities; and     (B) are tailored to current and anticipated readiness requirements.(3) Programs related to mathematical foundations of cryptography and courses in cryptographic theory and practice designed to complement and reinforce cyber education along with the strategic language programs critical to cyber operations.(4) Programs related to data science and courses in data science theory and practice designed to complement and reinforce cyber education along with the strategic language programs critical to cyber operations.(5) Programs designed to develop early interest and cyber talent through summer programs, dual enrollment opportunities for cyber, strategic language, data science, and cryptography related courses.(6) Training and education programs to expand the pool of qualified cyber instructors necessary to support cyber education in regional school systems.Furthermore, proposals must also clearly demonstrate how the proposed VI will enhance collaboration between the government and the VI’s constituent members and industry partners for the purposes of developing future scientists and engineers.Beyond that, proposals will be evaluated based on the criteria below in descending order of importance:Soundness and technical merit of the proposal’s contents. The included Project Description should clearly demonstrate how students will develop the needed skills.Any included Plan of Action and Milestones should be specific, actionable, and time bound to the periods of performance discussed in Section I(b). The included Assessment Plan should define specific and relevant metrics and measures for continuously evaluating program success throughout execution.Student participants from universities are highly encouraged to attend the GI summer internship program; a two-year summer internship that is onsite at AFRL in Rome, NY in year one and at a DoD host site for year two.Combined qualifications of consortium member institutions, including:Proposed consortium management structure, to include an empowered lead PI and a dedicated program manager to guarantee the overall success of the consortium.  If the lead PI is tasked to support the VI at less than 50% of full-time equivalent, the consortium should designate a secondary technical lead who can fulfill that time commitment.Demonstrated past success or progress toward cross-institutional articulation agreements in either in-person or online STEM programs.Any standard, or otherwise widely recognized, certifications of academic excellence in cyber or other pertinent fields of study.Perceived strategic value of consortium partnerships, both internal and external, to include the DoD research community and workforce.Perceived availability, quality, and quantity of existing resources consortium member institutions could bring to bear in support of their proposed Virtual Institute.Perceived likelihood of Virtual Institute achieving self-sustainment at some point after the base funding period.When considering how to satisfy the above criteria, an explicit, and concise, application of the Heilmeier Catechism may be appropriate:What are you trying to do?  Articulate your objectives using absolutely no jargon.How is it done today, and what are the limits of current practice?What’s new in your approach and why do you think it will be successful?Who cares?  If you’re successful, what difference will it make?What are the risks and payoffs?How much will it cost?How long will it take?What are the midterm and final “exams” to check for success?IV. Proposal LayoutA complete proposal package should consist of the following elements (not to exceed 10 pages):Cover sheet: The coversheet should have the title; all consortium institution names and associated PIs.Project Executive Summary (Not to Exceed 1 page)Project Description: To include a Plan of Action, Milestones, Student Metrics, Deliverables, or other Work Breakdown Structure, and a Sustainment PlanAssessment PlanBudget Summary (Not to Exceed 1 page)Appendix (not counting against the page limit)Full Budget and Budget Justification, per the guidance belowBiographical sketches: Biographical sketches are requested for all the PIs.References CitedLetters of Collaboration, per the guidance belowa. Requested Budget DetailsInclude any assumptions on which the proposed costs are made.  Validity period should be six (6) months and the proposal should be based on an advanced payment vehicle requiring reconciliation of allowable costs incurred to advance payments on a regular basis with a final accounting upon completion.  Provide confirmation of active System for Award Management (SAM.GOV) registration and the applicable DUNS number for that registration.Any proposed task should have a corresponding budget line item with direct labor and other direct costs (ODCs), if any, identified separately.For all labor, please provide names or labor categories, number of hours proposed, fully-burdened labor rates, and justification of the rates quoted.  Justifications can include published catalog pricing, cost buildup using government-approved rates supported by copies of rate agreements, identical prices paid by other customers, or other comparable means.  If your accounting practices don’t support hour estimates, include description or percentage of time proposed and definition of the time period on which salaries are based, e.g. academic year, calendar year, fiscal year, etc.For all proposed ODCs, include a description of the anticipated expense, along with relevant quotes and the time period in which they are expected to be incurred, a description of the expense, and justification for the need for the expense.For indirect costs, please provide any indirect rate agreements on which those costs are based.Travel should be estimated for the Virtual Institute team, including but not be limited to PI’s, Co-PI’s, key project personnel, and campus or regional ROTC staff, to travel to an annual symposium hosted by GI in U.S. locations on alternating coasts each year during the Period of Performance.For any travel estimates, please be sure an applicable federal cost principle, e.g., Federal Acquisition Regulation 31.205-46, is followed. b. Letters of CollaborationProposers may include in the appendix of their proposal package any letters of collaboration that formally document collaborative relationships mentioned in the Project Description and Budget Summary.  These relationships may be between the consortium institutions themselves, or between the consortium and any external government or industry partners.  The following language should be included in any letter of collaboration provided:  “If the proposal submitted to the Griffiss Institute by [insert the full name and title of the Principal Investigator] of [insert the name of lead institution] entitled [insert the proposal title] is selected for funding, it is my intent to collaborate and commit the resources described in the Project Description and Budget Summary sections of the proposal.”  We respectfully request that proposers do not include more general letters of support or endorsement.V. Point of ContactJennifer McCulloughVICEROY Program Project LeadGriffiss Institute315-356-2697viceroy@griffissinstitute.orgA. AppendixSEC. 1640.  PROGRAM TO ESTABLISH CYBER INSTITUTES AT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING.(a) Program Authorized.-- The Secretary of Defense may carry out a program to establish a Cyber Institute at institutions of higher learning selected under subsection (b) for purposes of accelerating and focusing the development of foundational expertise in critical cyber operational skills for future military and civilian leaders of the Armed Forces and the Department of Defense, including such leaders of the reserve components.(b) Selected Institutions of Higher Learning.—In general.--The Secretary of Defense shall select institutions of higher learning for purposes of the program established under subsection (a) from among institutions of higher learning that have a Reserve Officers' Training Corps program.Consideration of senior military colleges.--In selecting institutions of higher learning under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consider the senior military colleges with Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs.(c) Elements.--Each institute established under the program authorized by subsection (a) shall include the following:Programs to provide future military and civilian leaders of the Armed Forces or the Department of Defense who possess cyber operational expertise from beginning through advanced skill levels. Such programs shall include instruction and practical experiences that lead to recognized certifications and degrees in the cyber field.Programs of targeted strategic foreign language proficiency training for such future leaders that--are designed to significantly enhance critical cyber operational capabilities; andare tailored to current and anticipated readiness requirements.Programs related to mathematical foundations of cryptography and courses in cryptographic theory and practice designed to complement and reinforce cyber education along with the strategic language programs critical to cyber operations.Programs related to data science and courses in data science theory and practice designed to complement and reinforce cyber education along with the strategic language programs critical to cyber operations.Programs designed to develop early interest and cyber talent through summer programs, dual enrollment opportunities for cyber, strategic language, data science, and cryptography related courses.Training and education programs to expand the pool of qualified cyber instructors necessary to support cyber education in regional school systems.(d) Partnerships With Department of Defense and the Armed Forces.--Any institute established under the program authorized by subsection (a) may enter into a partnership with one or more components of the Armed Forces, active or reserve, or any agency of the Department of Defense to facilitate the development of critical cyber skills for students who may pursue a military career.(e) Partnerships.--Any institute established under the program authorized by subsection (a) may enter into a partnership with one or more local educational agencies to facilitate the development of critical cyber skills.(f) Senior Military Colleges Defined.--The term “senior military colleges'' has the meaning given such term in section 2111a(f) of title 10, United States Code.[1] https://www.nsa.gov/Portals/70/documents/resources/students-educators/centers-academic-excellence/Cyber%20Defense%20CAE%20Overview.pdf?ver=2019-06-04-150623-417