In its quest to strengthen relationships with the private sector and bolster its know-how, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Tuesday launched a new effort to bring in private sector experts on a short-term basis to work in select areas across the agency to help in select areas where their expertise is needed.
The Cyber Innovation Fellows Initiative will also improve the private sector’s awareness of CISA’s mission, the agency said.
“This new effort will allow us to partner even more closely with top talent from the private sector as they become part of our team for a few days each month to help us tackle some of the most complex cybersecurity challenges we face as a nation,” CISA Director Jen Easterly said in a statement.
On the initiative’s website, CISA says the new effort is driven by the need to “find new, innovative ways to engage new perspectives outside the federal government” to contend with rapid changes in the threat environment.
The fellows will work on a part-time basis as part of the agency’s team for up to four months and be compensated by their private sector employers. The first eight participants are expected to begin fellowships this fall.
Key focus areas of expertise that CISA is looking for in its fellows include cloud security, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and secure software development. CISA is accepting nominations through July 8.