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First-of-its kind Cybersecurity Clinic to train 21st-century cyber professionals

Indiana University’s cybersecurity strength enhanced with only clinic to serve local and state organizations

For Immediate Release Jul 2, 2019

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – As cybersecurity threats become more sophisticated and pervasive, Indiana University will establish a new IU Cybersecurity Clinic to address threats faced by governments, businesses and individuals.

The new clinic will serve as a hub for cyber training in the Midwest and will be the only one of its kind focused on local and state organizations.

The clinic is made possible through a $340,000 grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and matching funds up to $225,000 from the Indiana Economic Development Corp.

The IU Cybersecurity Clinic will work with students from across the university – including those from the Kelley School of Business, the Maurer School of Law and the School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering – to help state and local government agencies, not-for-profit organizations and small businesses better manage cyberattacks, protect intellectual property and improve privacy.

“Our mission is to foster a community of interdisciplinary cybersecurity professionals,” said Scott Shackelford, associate professor of business law and ethics in the IU Kelley School of Business, who chairs the IU Cybersecurity Program and will be the academic director of the IU Cybersecurity Clinic. “We are thrilled by the opportunity to train the next generation of cybersecurity professionals while helping to protect people and organizations around the globe, starting with our communities right here in Indiana.”

The IU Cybersecurity Clinic builds on the university’s long tradition of cybersecurity leadership, including the Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research, which links university resources with industry and government to increase cyber preparedness. IU is accredited by the federal government as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education and in Cyber Defense Research, the only university in Indiana to hold both designations.

IU recently graduated the first class from its Cybersecurity Risk Management master’s program in May.

Through the clinic, IU hopes to catalyze additional investment in Midwest cybersecurity efforts, as well as engage other universities across the region in meeting the challenges of cyber risk.

“For almost 20 years, IU has been at the forefront of helping to manage a global problem: cyber risk,” IU Vice President for Research Fred Cate said. “Cybersecurity risk management is becoming increasingly vital to government and business at every level. The new clinic will help address an unmet need today, while offering practical, hands-on training for the cyber professionals of tomorrow.”

This clinic is another step forward in the state’s efforts to support multidisciplinary innovation across the state. As critical infrastructure and systems become digitally interconnected, the Indiana Economic Development Corp. is encouraging strategic partnerships to advance cybersecurity initiatives, leveraging key assets like Indiana’s universities, research institutions and the private sector, and to equip the state’s current and future workforce with industry-focused skills and training needed to contribute to this transformative sector.

“As Indiana continues to establish a strategic framework of cybersecurity initiatives, we’re committed to taking an all-hands-on-deck approach that combines the cyber expertise and leadership of our universities, research centers and businesses,” said Dave Roberts, chief innovation officer at the Indiana Economic Development Corp. “We’re excited to contribute to the launch of the new IU Cybersecurity Clinic, which will offer next-generation training and real-world experience for Hoosier students while assisting organizations in instilling an array of cybersecurity best practices and expanding Indiana’s cybersecurity professional workforce that will be integral to powering our economy into the 21st century.”

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