ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
- Identification of existing state assets – public and private.
- Identification of gaps that hinder the state’s growth in cybersecurity as a cluster.
- Development of strategies in each of the following areas:
- Workforce Development and Education.
- K-12 – existing programs and opportunities
- Higher Education – existing programs and opportunities
- Private training – existing programs and opportunities
- Retiring / transitioning military
- Displaced workers due to Covid-19
- Identification of federal grants for cybersecurity workforce education
- Research and Commercialization.
- Leveraging National Security Agency (NSA) designated schools
- Identify cybersecurity research strengths of each of the state universities
- Increasing the quantity and quality of grants, OTAs, and Research and Development (R&D) procurements awarded to Kansas public and private institutions
- Increase the rate of commercialization of research dollars granted to state institutions.
- Enterprise Development.
- Growth of existing cybersecurity enterprises in the state
- Acceleration of new cybersecurity startups in the state
- Recruitment of new cybersecurity enterprises to the state
II. Eligibility and Award
For-profit and not-for-profit businesses owned and/or operated in the state of Kansas who are registered and in good standing with the Kansas Secretary of State are eligible to submit proposals in response to this RFP.
The Kansas Department of Commerce (Commerce) will award the selected organization $60,000 to meet the objectives of the program and provide the Deliverables described in section IV of this RFP.
Commerce will also make available up to $40,000 to assist with communications and marketing and other program costs to quickly engage displaced workers with workforce development and education training opportunities. Commerce, at their discretion, may also apply resources to advance initiatives which provide immediate opportunities for research, commercialization and enterprise development that will lead to new investment and job creation in Kansas.
III. Key Dates
- RFP responses are due October 5, 2020
- A Notice of Award will be issued on October 9, 2020.
IV. Proposed Program Process and Timeline:
The written Roadmap, including goals and success metrics is to be delivered to the Kansas Department of Commerce in sequential Deliverables according to the following timeline.
- Draft of the Workforce Development and Education section to the Kansas Department of Commerce by October 25, 2020.
- Draft of the Research and Commercialization section to the Kansas Department of Commerce by November 13, 2020
- Draft of the Enterprise Development section to the Kansas Department of Commerce by December 11, 2020.
- Final copy of complete Roadmap by December 31, 2020.
V. Application Requirements
Each proposal will address how the applicant will meet the program purposes and objectives and include the following items:
- Name and Location of Applicant entity
- Primary point of contact for proposal and project
- The applicant’s relevant experience in developing similar deliverables or managing similar projects
- The applicant’s plan to work with Commerce representatives and meet the proposed deliverable timeline as presented in this RFP, including a project schedule demonstrating the ability to fully expend all grant funds by December 30th.
- The institution’s plan to work with existing stakeholders, including educational programs, institutions of higher learning, public officials and private industry representatives in the Cybersecurity field across the state, nationally and internationally to promote the goals of the program
- A detailed budget and budget narrative for the project.
- Identify any other CARES Act funding received by program name and amount, and indicate if any will be used for this project.
Proposal applications are limited to five (5) pages including the cover page. Supporting documentation is limited to three (3) pages. Pages exceeding these limits will not be reviewed.
VI. Application Review Process
The following criteria will be used to evaluate proposals (100 points total):
- Applicant’s ability to provide the program deliverables as evidenced by their relevant experience (30 points)
- Applicant’s plan to work with existing Cybersecurity stakeholders (20 points)
- Ability to meet project timelines and expend all grant funds by December 30th (20 points)
- Applicant’s proposed plan to work with Commerce representatives to provide the program deliverables (10 points)
- Proposed budget and budget narrative sufficiency to meet project goals within stated award amount. (20 points)
________
Total 100 points
APPLICATIONS NOW CLOSED FOR THIS GRANT