The Ohio Cyber Range Institute is now accepting proposals from institutions and organizations to be designated as an Ohio Cyber Range Institute-Regional Programming Center (OCRI-RPC). The following request for proposals details the purpose of the OCRI-RPCs and the application process. Within their request for designation, applicants can include a request for funding to support specific cybersecurity range-supported activity. For more on the overall mission of the OCRI and its range capabilities, visit ohiocyberrangeinstitute.org or contact the Chair of the OCRI Executive Staff at richard.harknett@uc.edu 

 

OVERVIEW 

 

The Ohio Cyber Range Institute (OCRI) initiates and coordinates cybersecurity programming through a diverse set of Regional Programming Centers dispersed throughout the state of Ohio to provide a sustainable foundation for significant advancement of the state of Ohio’s overall cyber initiatives. 

The OCRI-RPC model is ideally calibrated to pull together a multitude of organizations and support their distinct local and regional footprints by leveraging the coordination capacity of the OCRI to maximize content development, research findings, program designs, partnering, and training, among other programming objectives.  

 

DEFINITION 

 

The Ohio Cyber Range Institute Regional Programming Center is a state of Ohio designation granted through the Ohio Cyber Range Institute that signifies an organization as a partner in the facilitation, support, and delivery of programming activities directly related to the education, workforce, and economic development missions of the Ohio Cyber Range. The formal designation will be as an Ohio Cyber Range Institute-Regional Programming Center. The shorthand version is OCRI-RPC. 

  

The expectation is that each OCRI-RPC will offer programming competency, based on their expertise, committed capacity, and interests, related to the Cyber Range missions. The array of competencies will vary across OCRI-RPCs with some more comprehensive in nature, while others may focus on a specific area of cybersecurity tied to only one or two of the Cyber Range’s missions or focus on dissemination activities powered by the OCRI.  

 

SELECTION CRITERIA 

  

An OCRI-Regional Programming Center should have: 

  

1. Demonstrated expertise and experience that can support programming to reach Ohioans that advances educational, workforce, and/or economic development outcomes; preference will be given to demonstrated experience in the field of cybersecurity as well as programming ideas that will make use of the Ohio Cyber Range;

2. Sustainable base capacity to support programming that advances educational, workforce, and/or economic development outcomes as an OCRI-RPC;  

 

In addition to these core criteria, the OCRI Executive Staff will consider the following additional criteria when considering its recommendations on OCRI-RPC designation: geographical dispersion across the state; the need for varied programming coverage of the Cyber Range mission sets; the need for distinct engagement with different segments of Ohio’s population and cybersecurity specializations across Ohio’s private sector; and the availability of funding relative to the proposed programming.  

 

 

SELECTION PROCEDURE 

 

Interested organizations will apply for designation as an OCRI-RPC through a formal application (link) that delineates intended focus (education, workforce development, or economic development), type of programming, the intended audience, contact person, and capacity to sustain the programming as an OCRI-RPC. The application should include an action plan through June 30, 2021 (as first period of OCRI-RPC designation) and how the organization intends to use the Cyber Range and work with the OCRI, including commitment to participate in the OCRI-RPC standing committee meeting. The application will be reviewed by the Executive Staff who may contact the organization for additional information.  

 

Once designated, OCRI-RPCs will participate in the OCRI-RPC Standing Committee and provide a report to the OCRI Executive Staff annually on activities. The OCRI may review designations. 

 

 

FOR APPLICANT’S CONSIDERATION 

 

Applications for designation should assess the following considerations when developing their proposed action plans:  

 

First, there is a distinction between two core functions of an OCRI-RPC: Drawing on their distinct programming competency, OCRI-RPC functions will differentiate between the ability to develop original programming (content and processes, including educational modules, research, and direct industry-support) and the ability to deliver programming (including but not limited to hosting capacities). This distinction should be made clear. 

 

Second, the OCRI-RPC’s combined level of capacity, commitment, and expertise will be differentiated by three tiers of OCRI-RPC categorization. It is important to note the assumption of a combined level of capacity, commitment, and expertise. An organization might have the capacity to develop and deliver across all three Cyber Range outcomes, but decide and, thus commit, only to organize their OCRI-RPC around one outcome or target a specific audience (e.g, just k-12 students). The categorization is, therefore, tied to which objective the institution is committing and how much of its capacity and expertise. Internal budget commitments should be specified as part of the sustainable base capacity requirement. The categorization can shift overtime based on planning and activities. 

 

The following tiers will be used for internal OCRI purposes in setting expectations, funding support, and measures of effectiveness. Again, the formal designation regardless of tier will be: OCRI-Regional Programming Center. 

  

Comprehensive Tier: This level of RPC categorization assumes the OCRI-RPC is capable of and committed to both development and delivery of broad programming across all three mission outcomes (education, workforce and economic development) of the Cyber Range.   

  

Tailored Tier: This level of RPC categorization assumes the OCRI-RPC is capable of and committed to both development and delivery of programming across a specific cybersecurity area and/or across a few mission outcomes of the Cyber Range.  

  

Foundational Tier: This level of RPC categorization assumes the OCRI-RPC is capable and committed to deliver programming across a specific cybersecurity area and or/across the mission outcomes of the Cyber Range.  

 

Funding: Organizations that wish to align existing cybersecurity-related activity to the OCRI and or innovate to make use of the Ohio cyber range or align programming expertise to disseminate OCRI material as an OCRI-RPC may seek the designation based on the above criteria and their own capacity. However, applicants in need of additional initial financial support to enhance their programming, capacity to support activities or innovate the use of the range may request funding. Applicants should detail how they will sustain the cybersecurity range programming as a designated OCRI-RPC beyond the grant.