Security scholarship program moving ahead

NSF grant application

The federal Scholarship for Service program, an initiative started by the Clinton administration to get new information security professionals to work for the government in return for scholarships, is on schedule at the National Science Foundation.

NSF heads up the first step of the SFS program, awarding grants to colleges and universities that teach information security students. The proposals from the institutions were due to NSF Jan. 24, and now the agency has brought in a panel to review the proposals; the grants should be awarded by June, officials said.

The grants will pay for the scholarships, which the schools will award to individual students. The institutions will use the money to maintain and improve their information security curricula, and to help other schools create new programs.

SFS is part of the larger Federal Cyber Service program, which is designed to improve the overall level of security expertise in government.