Officials with Marshall University, West Virginia University and the Joint Force Headquarters-Department of Defense Information Network have broken ground in Huntington, West Virginia, on the $45 million Marshall University Institute for Cyber Security.
Marshall University says in a news release that the project is step toward establishing the National Center of Excellence for Cyber Security in Critical Infrastructure, which will be the second center of its type in the country on a college campus.
Marshall University President Brad D. Smith said the facility will be one of the world’s most critical centers for cybersecurity.
“We stand at a pivotal moment in history for our university, the state of West Virginia, our country and the world as we embark on this transformative journey,” Smith said. “Through this center, we will develop advanced techniques, tools and methodologies to protect infrastructure and assets, as well as educate the next generation of cyber experts.”
The facility will have about 78,000 square feet of space and house a state-of-the-art operations center modeled on JFHQ-DODIN Headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland. The facility will also have 13 labs, among which will be six cybersecurity labs for training purposes, an industrial control systems lab, an internet of things lab and an open-source intelligence lab.
Situated across Hal Greer Boulevard from the Marshall University's Old Main, the building will serve as the west gateway to the Fourth Avenue Innovation corridor now under development.
The center at Marshall will be focused on protecting vital infrastructure, and there will be a connected sister operations center at West Virginia University in Morgantown.
