The Director shall establish a program to award grants to institutions of higher education (or consortia thereof) to establish or improve undergraduate and master’s degree programs in computer and network security, to increase the number of students, including the number of students from groups historically underrepresented in these fields and students who are veterans, who pursue undergraduate or master’s degrees in fields related to computer and network security, and to provide students with experience in government or industry related to their computer and network security studies.
Grants shall be awarded under this subsection on a merit-reviewed competitive basis.
The Director shall evaluate the program established under this subsection no later than 6 years after the establishment of the program. At a minimum, the Director shall evaluate the extent to which the program achieved its objectives of increasing the quality and quantity of students, including students from groups historically underrepresented in computer and network security related disciplines, pursuing undergraduate or master’s degrees in computer and network security.
The Director shall provide grants under the Scientific and Advanced Technology Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 1862i) [42 U.S.C. 1862h et seq.] for the purposes of section 3(a) and (b) of that Act [42 U.S.C. 1862i(a), (b)], except that the activities supported pursuant to this subsection shall be limited to improving education in fields related to computer and network security.
The Director shall establish a program to award grants to institutions of higher education to establish traineeship programs for graduate students who pursue computer and network security research leading to a doctorate degree by providing funding and other assistance, and by providing graduate students with research experience in government or industry related to the students’ computer and network security studies.
Grants shall be provided under this subsection on a merit-reviewed competitive basis.
Traineeships provided under paragraph (3)(A) shall be in the amount of $25,000 per year, or the level of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships, whichever is greater, for up to 3 years.
Computer and network security shall be included among the fields of specialization supported by the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowships program under section 1869 of title 42.
The Director shall establish a program to award grants to institutions of higher education to establish traineeship programs to enable graduate students to pursue academic careers in cyber security upon completion of doctoral degrees.
Grants shall be awarded under this section on a merit-reviewed competitive basis.
Each institution of higher education desiring to receive a grant under this subsection shall submit an application to the Director at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Director shall require.
The Director may provide for the partial or total waiver or suspension of any service obligation or payment by an individual under this section whenever compliance by the individual is impossible or would involve extreme hardship to the individual, or if enforcement of such obligation with respect to the individual would be unconscionable.
In making selections for graduate traineeships under this paragraph, an institution receiving a grant under this subsection shall consider, to the extent possible, a diverse pool of applicants whose interests are of an interdisciplinary nature, encompassing the social scientific as well as the technical dimensions of cyber security.