NITRD Issues Cyber R&D Budget Supplement and Roadmap

The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program this week issued its supplement to the President’s Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Request to Congress.

As per the announcement, the document describes research and development coordination activities planned for FY2020 by the Federal agencies participating in the NITRD Program and reports actual investments for FY2018, estimated investments for FY2019, and requested funding levels for FY2020 by agency and Program Component Area (PCA). For the FY2020 budget request, this Supplement identifies strategic priorities, key programs, and key coordination activities for each NITRD PCA.

An appendix to the Supplement, FY2020 Federal Cybersecurity R&D Strategic Plan Implementation Roadmap, lists existing and proposed Federal R&D projects and programs that address the Nation’s critical cybersecurity challenges.

The NITRD Program is the Nation’s primary source of federally funded research and development (R&D) in advanced information technologies (IT) in computing, networking, and software. NITRD is among the oldest and largest of formal Federal programs that coordinate the activities of multiple agencies to tackle multidisciplinary, multitechnology, and multisector R&D needs. The 24 NITRD member agencies now invest approximately $5 billion annually in R&D programs that identify, develop, and transition to practical use the advanced networking and IT capabilities needed by the Federal Government and the Nation.

Advanced networking and IT capabilities underpin U.S. technological leadership in the world, as well as American military superiority, national security, economic prosperity, energy dominance, health, innovation, maintenance of a cutting-edge IT research infrastructure, and expansion of the skilled cyber-enabled workforce. NITRD’s interagency communication and collaboration in IT R&D leverage agency strengths, help avoid duplication, and foster development of interoperable systems, thus improving the cost-effectiveness of Federal research investments. The NITRD collaboration framework also supports individual and joint agency outreach to academia and industry to foster alliances and strengthen the national innovation ecosystem.

Editorial Note:  Mr. Newbold participates in the Privacy R&D Interagency Working Group (IWG), which coordinates the multidisciplinary research and development conducted by NITRD agencies that seek to produce knowledge and technologies that identify and mitigate emerging risks to our privacy and enable individuals, companies, and the government to benefit from technological advancements while being able to effectively balance the resulting benefits with resulting risks to privacy.

Rick Newbold Written by:

Mr. Newbold has been working in the national security field since 2003 and has been an IAPP-certified privacy professional since 2007. He holds a JD from Regent University, an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management, and an LL.M. in National Security Law from Georgetown University Law Center. Mr. Newbold is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Public Policy with a focus on National Security Studies. He has contributed to several national-level documents and participates in a number of public policy-related working groups.

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