NSF Announces First CyberAICorps Awards to Strengthen AI and Cybersecurity Workforce
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced the first awards under its CyberAICorps Scholarship for Service (CyberAI SFS) program, supporting universities working to prepare the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. The initiative expands NSF's longstanding Scholarship for Service program to address emerging security challenges created by the growing integration of artificial intelligence into digital and physical systems.
Announced on July 28, 2026, the inaugural awards support projects at 14 universities across the United States. The program emphasizes two complementary goals: using AI to improve cybersecurity capabilities, including threat detection, incident response, and digital forensics, while also ensuring that AI-enabled technologies are secure, resilient, and trustworthy.
The funded projects will introduce educational approaches that combine AI and cybersecurity disciplines, including training in cyber-physical systems security. Students will gain practical experience through faculty-mentored research, cybersecurity laboratories, virtual training environments, internships, and partnerships addressing real-world government and critical infrastructure challenges.
Award recipients include Arizona State University, Texas A&M University, the University of Central Florida, Vanderbilt University, and the New Jersey Institute of Technology, among others. Their projects will explore areas such as AI-assisted cyber defense, secure computing, resilient AI systems, and applications involving space, defense, and critical infrastructure.
A central objective of CyberAICorps is to develop a skilled workforce capable of supporting cybersecurity missions across federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government agencies. The program combines scholarship support with mentoring, professional development, and pathways into public service.
For the cyber-physical systems research community, the initiative highlights the growing need for professionals who understand both intelligent computational technologies and the security challenges associated with interconnected physical infrastructure. As AI becomes more deeply embedded in transportation, energy, manufacturing, and other critical systems, integrating cybersecurity expertise into their development and operation will be increasingly important.
Read the original NSF announcement: https://www.nsf.gov/news/nsf-announces-first-awards-advance-ai-cybersecurity