[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 227 (Monday, November 26, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70483-70484]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-28481]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Request for Comments (RFC)--Federal Cybersecurity Research and 
Development Strategic Plan

AGENCY: The National Coordination Office (NCO) for Networking 
Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD).

ACTION: Request for comments (RFC).

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Tomas Vagoun at [email protected] or 
(703) 292-4873.

DATES: To be considered, submissions must be received by December 19, 
2012.
SUMMARY: This Request For Comments (RFC) is issued by the Cyber 
Security and Information Assurance Research and Development Senior 
Steering Group (SSG) of the Federal Networking and Information 
Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program. The SSG is 
preparing a report to provide an update on technological developments 
in Federal cybersecurity research and development since the release of 
the 2011 Federal Cybersecurity Research and Development Strategic Plan 
(the strategic plan). Also, in light of the ever evolving technological 
landscape of cybersecurity, and as input to its follow-on report, the 
SSG seeks comments on the progress over the past year in the research 
areas identified in the strategic plan, the strategic plan's impact in 
orienting private sector cybersecurity research and development 
activities, the successes and challenges in achieving the technological 
objectives outlined in the plan, and on any nascent or emerging areas 
in cybersecurity research and development that warrant further focus. 
Additionally, the comments will be used by the SSG in its assessment of 
future needs and directions in Federal cybersecurity research and 
development. Comments are to be submitted to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Continued cybersecurity research and 
development is critical to ensuring that we are on track as a Nation to 
develop innovative tools and capabilities to address

[[Page 70484]]

cybersecurity threats. In December 2011, the White House Office of 
Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released the ``Trustworthy 
Cyberspace: Strategic Plan for the Federal Cybersecurity Research and 
Development Program,'' a framework for a set of coordinated Federal 
strategic priorities and objectives for cybersecurity research. (http://www.nitrd.gov/Publications/PublicationDetail.aspx?pubid=39).
    The strategic plan was developed under the leadership of the Cyber 
Security and Information Assurance Research and Development Senior 
Steering Group (SSG) of the Federal Networking and Information 
Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program. It identifies key 
cybersecurity research and development themes that are shaping and 
facilitating a coordinated Federal research and development agenda to 
engender game-changing technologies. With this overarching template, 
the federal scientific community has been focusing on a common set of 
problems. The strategic plan is being executed by all of the agencies 
conducting and funding Federal cybersecurity research, including DARPA, 
Department of Homeland Security, Department of Energy, IARPA, National 
Institute of Standards and Technology, National Security Agency, 
National Science Foundation, and the Department of Defense. Input from 
industry, academia, and other stakeholders during the development of 
the strategic plan contributed greatly to the formulation of Federal 
research directions in cybersecurity. Guided by this plan, many 
research activities, initiatives, and solicitations have already been 
launched by Federal agencies in all areas defined by the plan.
    In an effort to continue to evolve Federal strategic directions in 
cybersecurity research, the SSG seeks comments to gain a better 
understanding of the plan's impact. Furthermore, the SSG seeks input 
regarding prospective areas in cybersecurity research and development 
that might benefit from coordinated support by Federal agencies. To 
assist with its report, the SSG is requesting that interested parties 
submit written comments. We welcome comments from all interested 
parties, including, but not limited to, academia, private industry, and 
all levels of government. We seek comments on the following questions 
in relation to the strategic plan:
    (1) Research Themes of the Strategic Plan:
    (a) Do the research themes need to be refined or enhanced? If so, 
in what way?
    (b) What are the research, development, implementation, transition-
to-practice, or other challenges that need to be overcome to achieve 
the goals under each theme?
    (c) Are there areas in cybersecurity research not addressed by the 
strategic plan that should be? If yes, what are they, why are they 
important, and what advances in such areas are needed to improve the 
security, safety, and trustworthiness of cyberspace?
    (2) Activities that Advance the Strategic Plan:
    (d) What activities are you or your organization undertaking that 
support the objectives of the strategic plan? Please include a brief 
description of initiatives, use-cases, capabilities, technologies, and/
or achievements.
    (e) How might your organization utilize the research outcomes?
    (3) Sustainable Progress:
    (f) What interactions, relationships, campaigns, or targeted 
assistance would support a sustainable process to drive changes 
envisioned by the research themes?
    (g) What engagements among Federal agencies, government labs, 
industry, and universities are particularly effective in enabling rapid 
progress in the development of solutions?
    To further enhance discussions related to cybersecurity research 
and this RFC, the Government will webcast a session on Federal 
cybersecurity research and development during the National Science 
Foundation's Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace Principal Investigators 
Meeting. The session and the webcast will take place on November 27, 
2012, from approximately 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. EST. Additional 
instructions will be available at http://cps-vo.org/group/satc.

Submission Instructions

    Submission email: submit your comments to [email protected].
    Submission deadline: to be considered, submissions must be received 
by December 19, 2012.
    To the extent applicable, when addressing a particular question 
included in this request for comments, comments should reference the 
relevant number associated with the question. Comments submitted will 
be made available to the public online or by alternative means. For 
this reason, do not include in your comments information of a 
confidential nature, such as sensitive personal information or 
proprietary information. In accordance with FAR 15.202(3), responses to 
this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to 
form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all 
expenses associated with responding to this RFC.
    Submitted by the National Science Foundation for the National 
Coordination Office (NCO) for Networking and Information Technology 
Research and Development (NITRD) on November 19, 2012.

Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2012-28481 Filed 11-23-12; 8:45 am]
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