HBCU Cybersecurity Industry Collaboration Program

There is an urgent need to build a cybersecurity workforce. This is why we felt it was important to collaborate with a group of Fortune 100 industry partners and the HBCUs Schools of Engineering to focus on building a cybersecurity workforce that is more diverse. We must develop a new generation of cybersecurity professionals – one that welcomes different backgrounds, experiences, and interests into this mission-critical field.

The HBCU Cybersecurity Industry Collaboration Program incorporates expertise,
learnings and support from Fortune 100 Industry Partners with the goal of aligning
business needs to the HBCU Schools of Engineering’s cybersecurity curricula and research
capabilities.

Professionals from Abbott, and Microsoft will be guest lecturers, participate in mentoring programs and meet with faculty to better understand existing strengths and collaborate toward educating more cybersecurity professionals to help address the nation’s talent gap.

Phase 1 | Pilot:

Virginia State University and Hampton University

Phase 2 | Pilot:

Jackson State University, Prairie View A&M University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Phase 3|Pilot:

Jan-Dec 2025: Implementation Phase