INformation Security Research & Education (INSuRE)

The goal of INSuRE is to connect government agencies, national labs and FFRDCs (agencies for short) with academic institutions in order to improve cybersecurity workforce skills in research, teamwork, presentation skills and project management; and to advance the state-of-the-art in applied research on problems of national interest.

Through the INSuRE program, students and faculty work on real-world applied research problems in a way that otherwise may not exist at their academic institutions,
while agencies have dedicated students help address applied research problems that are of interest and importance to the agencies. Through this engagement, agencies gain access to some of the most promising cybersecurity talents and students gain valuable workplace and team skills to prepare them for a future in cybersecurity research.

INSuRE Tracks

There are three distinct tracks that INSuRE offers, which each having their own unique environment and goals - the INSuRE+E, INSuRE+C, and INSuRE Summer Workshop tracks.

INSuRE+E

The INSuRE Education track (INSuRE+E) seeks to educate undergraduate and graduate students in research methodology and working in teams in the context of a research course offered at the academic institutions. Agency problem mentors offer research problems and provide subject matter expertise for those problems, while faculty mentors are responsible for academic oversight. INSuRE+E is offered to all NCAE institutions with 4-year undergraduate or graduate programs both in the Fall and Spring semesters.

Read More
INSuRE+C

The INSuRE Collaboration track (INSuRE+C) seeks to facilitate research collaboration between NCAE-R faculty members and researchers in agencies through jointly mentoring graduate student teams. INSuRE+C is offered to faculty from NCAE-R institutions only. INSuRE+C starts in the Fall semester and runs throughout the academic year with a funding option for the summer that follows. Peer-reviewed publications are expected to result from the collaboration. All academic participants must be US citizens or permanent residents.

Read More
INSuRE Summer Workshops

The INSuRE Summer Workshops seek to provide advanced undergraduate and graduate students with an intensive 3- to 4-week research experience led by an agency Problem Mentor (who provides subject matter expertise) and supervised by a faculty mentor (who provides guidance in research methods) from the hosting NCAE institution. Students from any NCAE institution with at least junior status may apply. A limited number of students (approximately 10-15) are invited to participate in each session. The teams are encouraged to submit their results for publication.

Read More

Testimonials

"The INSuRE program has helped introduce students to research and giving them hands on experience on complex cybersecurity problems. This has become one of the most popular classes in the program … Several students have gone on to continue Masters and Doctoral Degrees after going through the program."

— Sanjay Goel
Professor at University of Albany, SUNY

"INSuRE provides an invaluable experience for cyber security students to work on real-world projects with real-world impact.Through INSuRE, students showcase their skills and make lasting connections which can help propel their future careers."

— Brian Ricks
Professor at University of Texas at Dallas

 

"The INSuRE program provided me with two very important things, a love for research and a respect for the people that are able to lead a research initiative. As a student I enjoyed participating in the program, broadening my horizons, and getting the opportunity to solve real world problems that have an impact. Now as a PM I have the unique opportunity to throw my own research problem into the ring and help provide my peers the same opportunity to learn to love research and hopefully inspire them to do their own research when they graduate school as well."

— Anonymous
Former INSuRE Student, Current INSuRE Problem Mentor

"It went beyond my expectations. The chance to work with peers from different institutions was amazing. … It really helped me see a path forward in my career and open my eyes to know new areas."

— Anonymous
Former INSuRE Student

 

Updated: Dec 6, 2024