U-M’s Economic Growth Institute will use a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce to boost cybersecurity know-how among small manufacturers in southeastern Michigan. The EGI is one of seven awardees nationally to receive the STEM Talent Challenge Grant aimed at tackling different needs related to science, technology, engineering, and math in the workforce. The grant is worth about $600,000, which includes local matching dollars.
Partnering on the project with EGI are Nexus, the College of Engineering’s home for online and professional education, and HackerU, an international cybersecurity training institute. For its part, the institute is creating a program — the Advanced Manufacturing Cybersecurity Work-and-Learn Program — focused on cybersecurity training that offers online learning and hands-on internships at manufacturers. Officials say it’s crucial to develop internal cybersecurity expertise within manufacturing settings, where it’s often lacking and reliant upon outside expertise to protect its most critical assets.
