September 27, 2016

CASTRO ANNOUNCES $3M FOR UTSA CYBERSECURITY CONSORTIUM

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) announced a $3,015,000.00 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). The funding will support UTSA’s leadership of the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium (NCPC), a partnership of five universities that work to improve American communities’ cyber defenses. 
 
“UTSA is leading the charge to ensure our first responders and state and local governments have the ability to prevent and respond to cyberattacks,” said Rep. Castro. “With this substantial funding, UTSA will be able to share its expertise more broadly and bolster the safety of communities across the nation. I’m extremely proud of the cutting-edge cybersecurity work that’s happening in our city, particularly at UTSA. It’s no wonder San Antonio has earned the nickname ‘Cyber City USA.’”
 
UTSA will receive the funding through DHS’ Continuing Training Grants (CTG) program. Administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the CTG is a competitive grant awarded annually to entities that play an important role in the implementation of the National Preparedness System by supporting the building, sustainment, and delivery of core capabilities essential to achieving the National Preparedness Goal of a secure and resilient nation. FEMA provides the funding via cooperative agreements to partners like UTSA to develop and deliver training to prepare communities to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism and natural, man-made, and technological hazards.
 
“This grant is a recognition of the work the five university consortium has accomplished and will allow UTSA to continue to support state and local governments who want to establish viable and sustainable cyber security programs to deal with the very real cyber threat,” said Dr. Gregory White, Director of UTSA’s Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security. 

On May 16, 2016, the House of Representatives passed Rep. Castro’s bill that was inspired by UTSA’s National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium, The National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium Act (H.R. 4743), which allows non-profit entities, including universities, to work more closely with DHS to address cybersecurity risks and incidents at the state and local level. Earlier this month, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced companion legislation for consideration in the United States Senate. 

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