Federal Cybersecurity Research and Development Strategic Plan Implementation Roadmap

Key Chapter Title List

1. About the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC)
2. About the Cybersecurity and Information Assurance Interagency Working Group (CSIA IWG)
3. About This Document
4. Research Priority: Achieving Cybersecurity Through a Human-Centered Approach
5. Research Priority: Empowering Organizations to Address Cybersecurity Threats
6. Research Priority: Cybersecurity Education and Workforce Development
7. Research Priority: Establishing and Negotiating Trust
8. Research Priority: Designing for Cyber Resilience
9. Federal Priority Use Case: Protecting Software and Hardware Supply Chains
10. Federal Priority Use Case: Enabling Secure and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence
11. Federal Priority Use Case: Securing a Clean Energy Future
12. Cross-Reference Table of Key Agency Cybersecurity R&D Programs

Document Introduction

This document is an official report released in November 2024 by the Cybersecurity and Information Assurance Interagency Working Group under the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program of the U.S. National Science and Technology Council, in accordance with the requirements of the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014. Its core purpose is to provide specific implementation details for Fiscal Year 2025 for the 2023 Federal Cybersecurity Research and Development Strategic Plan. By listing key federal R&D programs, it guides cross-agency resource coordination to address current and future complex cybersecurity challenges.

The report begins by detailing its authoring organizational structure. This includes the National Science and Technology Council, which serves as the principal coordination mechanism for science and technology policy across the executive branch; the Office of Science and Technology Policy, which provides science and technology advice to the President; and the Subcommittee on Networking and Information Technology Research and Development, responsible for guiding the federal information technology R&D program. As the core implementing body, the mission of the Cybersecurity and Information Assurance Interagency Working Group is to advance solutions to pressing cybersecurity problems by coordinating federal cybersecurity R&D investments and activities, developing joint research strategies, and engaging in industry-academia-government interactions.

The document's content closely revolves around the five research priorities and three federal priority use cases established in the 2023 Strategic Plan. The five research priorities include: "Human-Centered Cybersecurity," which integrates human and societal values, needs, and capabilities throughout the lifecycle of information systems and solutions; "Empowering Organizations to Address Threats," which develops methods to understand, analyze, and manage cybersecurity, cyber resilience, and privacy risks; "Cybersecurity Education and Workforce Development," encompassing education, training, and public awareness; "Establishing and Negotiating Trust," dedicated to building, enforcing, and verifying trust at all levels of computing; and "Designing for Cyber Resilience," aimed at designing systems that can withstand attacks and maintain critical functions even when compromised. The three priority use cases focus on "Protecting Software and Hardware Supply Chains," "Enabling Secure and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence," and "Securing a Clean Energy Future."

As a core component of the report, a detailed cross-reference table systematically lists the primary cybersecurity R&D programs for Fiscal Years 2024, 2025, and future planning from over ten key federal agencies, including the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Army, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Department of Energy, the Department of Homeland Security, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Science Foundation, and the Office of Naval Research. This table visually demonstrates the alignment of each program with the aforementioned five research priorities and three use cases. For example, DARPA's "Enhanced SBOM for Optimized Software Maintenance" project relates to supply chain security, the Department of Energy's "Clean Energy Cybersecurity Accelerator" project relates to clean energy security, and the National Science Foundation's large-scale "Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace" program broadly covers multiple priority areas. This roadmap is not only a planning document for federal R&D investment but also a key reference for understanding the U.S. national-level cybersecurity technology priorities and the logic behind constructing its defense architecture.