Northrop Grumman [NOC] and the Univ. of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) this week announced a partnership to provide “scholarships” to early-stage companies looking to develop and commercialize promising cyber security technologies.
The Cync program builds on UMBC’s existing bwtech@UMBC business-incubation framework. Companies participating in the program will have access to UMBC’s research expertise and Northrop Grumman resources to develop cyber security tools. The Cync program will choose participants from a nationwide search, providing selected firms with office space, business support services and academic resources, including access to faculty and student employees.
“This technology is even more important as our reliance on cybersecurity increases, and collaborating with both academia and small businesses brings a breadth of technological expertise that goes beyond what any one entity is able to supply,” Chris Valentino, Northrop Grumman cyber security director and technical fellow, said in a statement.
UMBC is ranked fourth in the United States among research universities in awarding of information technology degrees and certificates and is the largest producer of such graduates among research universities in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia.