CybersecurityGeneral Dynamics teams up with Virginia Tech to bolster cybersecurity

Published 8 September 2011

Defense giant General Dynamics’ cybersecurity division has teamed up with Virginia Tech to help strengthen the nation’s cybersecurity research capabilities; on Wednesday, the company announced that its Advanced Information Systems branch will assist Virginia Tech with its new Security and Software Engineering Research Center (S2ERC)

Defense giant General Dynamics’ cybersecurity division has teamed up with Virginia Tech to help strengthen the nation’s cybersecurity research capabilities.

On Wednesday, the company announced that its Advanced Information Systems branch will assist Virginia Tech with its new Security and Software Engineering Research Center (S2ERC).

It is vital to America’s security that industry remains a prominent contributor in the education and training of our future cyber leaders,” said Lou Von Thaer, president of General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems. “The strides we make in cyber security benefit not only industry, but protect our national security as well. That is why we are committed to helping Virginia Tech create and sustain this center as a nexus for collaborative cyber security research.”

The new cybersecurity facility was founded with the help of a five-year National Science Foundation grant designed to bolster the nation’s software engineering and cybersecurity capabilities and push research and development.

The S2ERC will be the nation’s third, joining centers located at Ball State University and Iowa State University Tech.

The National Science Foundation founded the S2ERC program twenty-five years ago as the Industry & University Cooperative Research Center to leverage the research and development capabilities of universities and to foster relationships between higher education and industry.

Partnering with one of the leading engineering institutions in the country, we expect this center for cyber research to improve our customers’ mission capability and strengthen their defenses on the Internet,” said John Jolly, vice president and general manager of General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems’ Cyber Systems division. “Joining this research initiative with Virginia Tech allows us to collaborate with some of the brightest minds in the country to leverage our experience defending government networks and investigating sophisticated network breaches, to drive innovation for our customers.”

At S2ERC, academic researchers will have access to real-world data and experienced practitioners who can validate their theories or models and guide their research. Meanwhile affiliated companies will have access to innovative research and can even request research proposals to study particular areas of interest.