New cybersecurity measures could mean more research funding for UWM

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Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points.

Researchers in the Center for Sustainable Electrical Energy Systems at UWM, run by Professor Robert Cuzner (right), include: Young Soo Kim (from left), Hassan Abdallah, James (Tianchen) Li, Boris (Chei Wei) Hsu, Kevin Monahan, Lucy Benavides, Eric Schmitt, Kayla Knudtson and Joe Lentz. The lab’s work includes applied research in power and electricity, including partnerships with Leonardo DRS and the Eaton Corporation, both in the Milwaukee area. (UWM Photo/Troye Fox)

In an era when federal funding for research is scarce, UW-Milwaukee has taken steps toward a data security certification that will make its researchers eligible for a wider range of federal projects. The Office of Research hopes it also offers area companies new ways to collaborate with UWM.
Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is a set of federal data security protocols required for universities and companies involved in defense-related projects. UWM achieved the Level 1 certification in January and is working to reach Level 2 certification by November, said Ali Abedi, vice chancellor for research. By opening a potential source of research funding, CMMC could aid the university’s efforts to retain its status as a “highest research activity” institution, often called R1.
To achieve Level 1 certification, UWM had to confirm that it uses cybersecurity practices that keep even non-classified research information secure. These measures include university policies and basic tools such as door locks, cameras in some research-related spaces and access control lists that give only certain people access to labs.
Joe Lentz (left), lab manager and research scientist, and Rob Cuzner, professor and director of the Center for Sustainable Electrical Energy Systems at UWM, stand next to a battery energy storage system co-developed with Milwaukee company Badger Technology. (UWM Photo/Troye Fox)
Level 2 certification is more rigorous and expensive to achieve. It involves building secure lab spaces and creating a secure data enclave, an isolated portion of the university’s computer network. Simply accessing calls for proposals for these federal projects requires a secure channel, Abedi said. He intends to apply for grants to fund the Level 2 upgrades.
No other universities in Wisconsin currently have Level 2 certification, although UW-Madison and UWM are both working toward it. “We are trying to work together as much as possible,” Abedi said, to find cost savings. For example, the two universities could share the consultants needed to achieve the certification.
Bringing more defense-industry jobs to Wisconsin
UWM and WisPolitics recently co-hosted a panel discussion that considered ways universities and industry can cooperate to create more defense-related jobs in Wisconsin. The state currently has a modest 16,000 defense-industry positions.
During the event, Rob Cuzner, professor of electrical engineering and director of UWM’s Center for Sustainable Electrical Energy Systems, explained that achieving CMMC Level 2 certification will allow UWM researchers to pursue federal projects in collaboration with area firms.
Cuzner’s work includes applied research in power and electricity, and he has contributed to the U.S. Navy’s quest for next-generation, all-electric ships. His projects have involved partnerships with Leonardo DRS and the Eaton Corporation, both in the Milwaukee area.
The region has a high concentration of companies in the energy, power, controls and automation spaces, Cuzner said, “and they need graduate students with specialized training, who’ve got hands-on experience in key emerging areas.” Two recent PhD graduates from Cuzner’s lab now work for Leonardo DRS. “To me that’s a huge success,” he said.
Research with non-defense applications
Technologies initially intended for the military often develop important civilian uses. “Department of Defense research is not all about weapons and missiles,” Abedi said. Advances in areas such as early computing, the internet, health care and AI all began with military research.
Cuzner’s own applied research has focused on energy systems and fortifying electric grids within constrained environments such as military vessels, as well as integrating energy storage into these systems. He believes that electric microgrids could also help support power needs on land, in locations including military bases, medical campuses and even urban neighborhoods.
Protecting intellectual property
One goal of CMMC is to protect intellectual property developed in the United States. “We need to make sure that whatever intellectual property is created here is in the right hands,” Abedi said.
Over recent decades, technologies developed in this country — such as microchips and advanced semiconductors — are manufactured elsewhere, leaving this proprietary information vulnerable to corporate espionage and theft.
“It’s like everyone can now get the recipe for the secret sauce, that special skill or small, tiny detail,” Abedi said. “Once those recipes go, it’s hard to get them back. The whole reason for CMMC is to not let that happen again.”
The CMMC practices create new channels so that universities, companies and the federal government can all communicate and collaborate with lower risk of theft.
“The university is a really important, untapped resource, but in order for it to work, you’ve got to be able to make it possible for stakeholders to work together,” Cuzner added.