Planning Grant: Advanced Cybersecurity for Power Distribution Infrastructure

University Of Tennessee Chattanooga, Chattanooga TN

Investigators

Abstract

The Planning Grant: Advanced Cybersecurity for Power Distribution Infrastructure project is a year-long planning effort to develop a comprehensive strategy to build, deploy, and integrate a “QuantumGrid Innovation Hub” in Chattanooga, Tennessee built upon the EPB Quantum Network, a smart electric grid, and an innovation ecosystem that forms a testbed where startups, researchers, and industry can develop quantum applications for electric grid security and related approaches. Planning activities will encompass stakeholder convenings, identifying technical barriers and potential solutions, engaging startups and industry partners, and concurrent economic and workforce development activities. Together, these planning activities will culminate in a clear, actionable blueprint for launching the testbed that is technically grounded and includes a feature-set and capabilities that advance a critical application space for U.S. national security in the quantum sector. This work — led by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) in partnership with Chattanooga’s Electric Power Board (EPB), CO.LAB, and the Chattanooga Quantum Collaborative — builds upon EPB’s existing quantum networking hardware in the region as well as a growing quantum hardware research efforts at UTC. The testbed’s chosen focus area, quantum grid security applications, is critical to national security and there is a significant need for application development in the sector to protect critical infrastructure — namely, the power grid, which is among the most vulnerable infrastructure components to cyberattack across the nation and the world. EPB’s work to develop a commercially available quantum network, built upon dedicated fiber infrastructure, provides the baseline for the research and testing environment. Additionally, the proposal features strong economic development and startup engagement efforts run by CO.LAB, a non-profit startup accelerator based in Chattanooga. They propose to host design sprints, hackathons, and reverse pitch sessions that will attract researchers and technologists to serve as both initial users of the testing environment and a critical feedback loop for planning future testbed capabilities and services. Finally, the proposal also aims to engage community colleges, workforce boards, and employers to develop a robust workforce development plan to create career pathways in the quantum/grid security application space. The activities supported by this award have a significant chance to advance national priorities, bolster regional economic growth, and advance technological progress. Specifically, the development of quantum applications for grid security are highly relevant to U.S. national security, infrastructure resilience, and global competitiveness. Investment in this project is both consistent and well-aligned with the goals and broad strategic objectives of NSF TIP. This investment is consistent with agency’s goals and the scientific and technological community’s interest in accelerating the development of quantum-enabled applications to strengthen cybersecurity of critical infrastructure. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.