The Department of Energy (DOE) has announced that it will invest $34M to the University of Arkansas and the University of Illinois for two projects designed to “improve and enhance” the protection of the U.S. electric grid, and oil and natural gas infrastructure from cyber threats. The DOE stated “To meet this challenge [cybersecurity], we must continue investing in innovative, next-generation technologies that can be transitioned to the energy sector to reduce the risk of a power disruption resulting from a cyber incident.”

The University teams will include expertise in engineering of power systems and computer science relating to cybersecurity.