CS-17-03 The Value Proposition of Working with Universities

Description:

The Cyber Resilient Energy Delivery Consortium (CREDC) is a $28M/5 year program funded by the Department of Energy (DOE) to perform research in the technologies and tools that improve cyber-resilience on the operational side of energy delivery systems. A consortium of 12 universities and national labs led by the University of Illinois, CREDC builds on over ten years of partnership with NSF, DOE, and DHS running a large scale research effort that formally focused on the electric power grid. CREDC's mission is larger, and extends now to the oil and gas industry as well. CREDC is expected to work closely with the benefactors of the work it performs: industry. This presentation focuses on a key question: what is the value proposition to industry in working with university groups like CREDC? This is a crucial question to answer and respond to, for both academics and industry, and in particular, the oil and gas industry. This presentation intends to engage with questions such as (1) how can involvement with CREDC improve access to students and workforce development? (2) What role might academics play in keeping an industry's leadership apprised of emerging trends and threats in cyber-technology used in OT? (3) How might industry help shape the technologies that universities produce, and what interest and ability does industry have in adopting them?