State Money Secured for University of Cincinnati’s Cyber Range Project

$6.5 million in funds from the capital budget will be going to cyber project.

Sep 10, 2024 at 3:50 pm

UC’s Ohio Cyber Range Project is a cyber security learning and teaching tool for students and educators, ranging from K-12 to collegiate level. It can also be used to train law enforcement, the workforce and even to test existing cyber programs. Photo: Philipp Katzenberger/Unsplash

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A cyber security project from the University of Cincinnati will receive $6.5 million in funds from the state’s capital budget, according to a Sept. 9 press release from State Rep. Rachel Baker (D-Cincinnati).

UC’s Ohio Cyber Range Project is a cyber security learning and teaching tool for students and educators, ranging from K-12 to collegiate level. It can also be used to train law enforcement, the workforce and even to test existing cyber programs.

“This is an exciting investment into innovation with the potential for large-scale impact,” Baker said in the release. “This investment will have an extraordinary influence on education, workforce development and economic development. It places Ohio at the forefront of statewide impact on cybersecurity.”

The funds come as Ohio lawmakers approved $4.2 billion for the capital budget, with millions going to areas throughout the state. Signed by Gov. Mike DeWine on June 28, several projects in Southwest Ohio were given funding, from $16.75 million for the University of Cincinnati Health to $46 million for the Hamilton County Convention Center Development District.

Launched in December 2017 and headquartered at the University of Cincinnati, the Cyber Range is an interdisciplinary project with the School of Information Technology, the Department of Political Science and the Department of Electrical and Computer Science all working to fulfill its mission.

Similarly, the Cyber Range Project’s governmental partners span across varying agencies, including the Adjutant General’s Office of the Ohio National Guard, the Ohio Department of Public Safety, and the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce, among others.

Services offered by the Ohio Cyber Range Project include:

Providing virtual lab environments for colleges and high schools, as well as for camps and workshops for students and teachers
Holding “Cybersecurity Bootcamps” so adults can earn cybersecurity education and certificates
Supporting formal courses, student groups, student research, as well as industry and academic research

The group’s 2023 Annual Report gives a more detailed insight into the variety of their operations, with everything from online bootcamps for students training local governments.

No one from UC’s Cyber Range Project was immediately available to respond to CityBeat’s comment requests.