The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has awarded $1.3 million to 13 small businesses for cybersecurity research and development.
Each business will receive $100,000 in preliminary funding through the DHS S&T Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to develop new cybersecurity technology related to one of four research topics. The SBIR program was initiated in 2004 to encourage small businesses in the United States to engage in innovative research and development to develop products orsolutions that have the potential for commercialization.
The four awardees tasked with developing technologies that apply blockchain technology to support identity verification are Celerity Government Solutions, LLC; Narf Industries LLC; Respect Network Corporation; and Digital Bazaar, Inc.
CardSmart Technologies, Pomian & Corella, LLC, and PreID Inc. received the funding develop alternatives to knowledge-based verification techniques, such as remembering a password for online identification.
Awardees who will develop a capability to predict and prevent malware ZeroPoint Dynamics, LLC; Red Balloon Security; GrammaTech, Inc.; and BlueRISC, Inc.
The fourth research topic, real-time assessment of resilience and preparedness, will be explored by InferLink Corporation and Datanova Scientific LLC.
The 13 awardees may be eligible for further funding based on initial project results.
