Trusted CI

What Trusted CI does

Trusted CI is the National Science Foundation's designated Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (CCoE), formally established in 2016 under NSF solicitation and previously known as CTSC (Center for Trustworthy Scientific Cyberinfrastructure). It is a federally-supported consortium led by Indiana University with partner institutions including Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, NCSA at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Arizona State University. The center's mission is to enable trustworthy NSF science by helping cyberinfrastructure (CI) operators build and maintain effective cybersecurity programs, publishing usable resources for the broader NSF and higher education community, and providing the processes, tools, and knowledge to secure research progress.

The core product is the Trusted CI Framework, a minimum cybersecurity program standard organized around four pillars (Mission Alignment, Governance, Resources, and Controls) and 16 must-have requirements. This framework is operationalized through six-month Framework Cohorts, the Cybertrack+ Assessment methodology (jointly developed with Purdue University and Indiana University), the Fellows and Scholars educational programs, the Ambassador Program, an annual NSF Cybersecurity Summit plus regional summits, a monthly webinar series, and specialized tools such as the Vendor Procurement Matrix (now with an AI tab) and the Ship Site Visit Template for the U.S. Academic Research Fleet. Communities of practice include the Research Infrastructure Security Community (RISC) and the Regulated Research Community of Practice (RRCoP).

Trusted CI's business model is grant-funded rather than commercial. Its services are provided at no cost to NSF-funded research cyberinfrastructure projects, financed via an NSF Interagency Agreement (#A2407-049-089-064206.0), with a disclosed $12.5M funding tranche dated 2019-09-23. Its customers are the NSF Major Facilities (e.g., IceCube Neutrino Observatory, NOIRLab, EarthScope, Ocean Observatories Initiative, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory), NSF Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure projects, U.S. Academic Research Fleet vessels, and broader higher education institutions now navigating NSPM-33 and AI-related research security requirements. In 2026, the mission was formally expanded to address cybersecurity for research security and the secure use of AI in research environments.

Name

Trusted CI

Legal name

Trusted CI: The NSF Cybersecurity Center of Excellence

Website

https://trustedci.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Trusted CI is the NSF Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, providing cybersecurity frameworks, cohort-based assessments, training, and summits to NSF-funded research cyberinfrastructure operators, major scientific facilities, and higher education institutions at no cost.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research Cybersecurity Services

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) & NERC-CIP Compliance (HDADAJAC)

Keywords

• Research cybersecurity services
• Cyberinfrastructure security
• Cybersecurity framework assessment
• NSF research security
• Scientific computing security

Headquarters

HQ city

Illinois City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. NSF Government Funding: Trusted CI is funded by the National Science Foundation under Interagency Agreement #A2407-049-089-064206.0. As the NSF Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, the organization provides its services at no cost to NSF-funded research cyberinfrastructure projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Trusted CI provides cybersecurity expertise, frameworks, training, assessments, and community support to NSF-funded research cyberinfrastructure operators. Its core offering is the Trusted CI Framework, a holistic cybersecurity program standard organized around four Pillars (Mission Alignment, Governance, Resources, Controls) and 16 Musts, delivered through cohort programs, one-on-one engagements, and assessment services.

Product overview

Trusted CI, the NSF Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, is a service organization providing cybersecurity expertise to NSF research cyberinfrastructure. Rather than a single product, Trusted CI offers a portfolio of programs and services including: the Trusted CI Framework (a minimum cybersecurity standard with four pillars: Mission Alignment, Governance, Resources, and Controls) as the core foundational offering; Framework Cohorts (six-month training engagements); assessment services (Framework assessments and Cybertrack+ assessments); training and education programs (Fellows Program, Scholars Program, Webinar Series, Ambassador Program); events (annual NSF Cybersecurity Summit and Regional Summits); and tools/resources (Vendor Procurement Matrix, Ship Site Visit Template, Training Materials). The organization also supports communities of practice including the Regulated Research Community of Practice (RRCoP) and Research Infrastructure Security Community (RISC). Their recent strategic initiatives include Secure Use of AI to address AI's impact on research cybersecurity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Trusted CI Framework Holistic, mission-focused cybersecurity program standard providing four Pillars (Mission Alignment, Governance, Resources, Controls) and 16 Must-have requirements for managing cybersecurity in NSF research cyberinfrastructure.
• Framework Cohort Program Six-month cohort engagement in which research cyberinfrastructure providers learn and apply the Trusted CI Framework, conduct self-assessments, and develop Cybersecurity Program Strategic Plans. Includes an original cohort and a reassessment cohort for graduates.
• Cybertrack+ Assessment Assessment methodology evaluating the most powerful cybersecurity fundamentals using the Trusted CI Framework and CIS Controls, with additional CIS Safeguards for operational technology, providing actionable advice and prioritized recommendations.
• Ship Site Visit Template Template used during NSF inspections of U.S. Academic Research Fleet vessels to document cybersecurity and cyberinfrastructure details and identify gaps requiring attention.
• Vendor Procurement Matrix Guide for evaluating AI-specific and operational technology vendor risks during procurement, with explicit reference to the HECVAT AI tab and an Operational Technology Procurement Vendor Matrix variant developed with maritime OT experts.
• NSF Cybersecurity Summit Annual summit bringing together CI operators, cybersecurity professionals, and stakeholders for workshops, training, and information sharing across the NSF cyberinfrastructure community.
• Regional Cybersecurity Summit Regional summit hosted in partnership with universities to bring together cybersecurity professionals, modeled after the annual NSF Cybersecurity Summit.
• Trusted CI Webinar Series Monthly presentations on cybersecurity topics applicable to NSF CI, with Q&A and recordings archived on YouTube.
• Trusted CI Fellows Program Program empowering members of the scientific community with basic cybersecurity knowledge and familiarity with Trusted CI services through virtual and hands-on training, Summit attendance, mentorship, and networking.
• Trusted CI Scholars Program Gateway program for emerging cybersecurity professionals providing hands-on experience and direct mentorship from leading cybersecurity experts, with bi-monthly webinars and applied learning opportunities.
• Regulated Research Community of Practice (RRCoP) Community of practice providing guidance and support for compliance programs, operating the HigherEdCUI Slack Channel and assisting institutions with HIPAA, FISMA, NIST 800-171, CMMC, and DFARS.
• Research Infrastructure Security Community (RISC) Community of practice providing a forum for cohort graduates and broader NSF research CI members to exchange cybersecurity experience, best practices, and challenges.
• Trusted CI Training Materials Collection of published training materials including Introduction to Software Security, Security Log Analysis, Federated Identity Management, Incident Response, NIST Risk Management Framework, and Industrial Control Systems security courses.
• Ambassador Program Program in which Trusted CI ambassadors serve as liaisons between research facilities and the Trusted CI team, providing guidance on information security, risk management, and other security needs tailored to each facility's mission.
• Secure Use of AI Initiative Initiative aiding research cyberinfrastructure organizations and institutions of higher education in understanding the impacts of AI on their research and cybersecurity programs, including AI limitations, vulnerabilities, and adoption challenges.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 200 vulnerability alerts issued to the community since 2014
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• SECURE CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSECURE Center's expertise in research security complements Trusted CI's cybersecurity expertise. The organizations partner to provide comprehensive support to academic institutions navigating compliance with emerging NSPM-33 cybersecurity requirements.
• NAIRR (National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrusted CI partners with NAIRR stakeholders to support their cybersecurity program needs as part of the expanded mission to address secure use of AI in research.
• Indiana UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndiana University serves as the lead institution for Trusted CI, with the Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research providing core team members including Director Jim Basney.
• Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLBNL is a partner institution providing research scientists including Director Sean Peisert to the Trusted CI team.
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (NCSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCSA at UIUC is a partner institution providing cybersecurity expertise and research capabilities to Trusted CI.
• Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPSC is a partner institution contributing to Trusted CI's cybersecurity expertise and community engagement.
• University of Wisconsin-MadisoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUW-Madison is a partner institution providing cybersecurity expertise to Trusted CI, including faculty who developed the Introduction to Software Security training.
• Arizona State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASU is a partner institution contributing to Trusted CI's mission and community.
• Sustainable Horizons InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSustainable Horizons Institute partners with Trusted CI on the Fellows program, providing coordination and support for professional development in cybersecurity for science and engineering professionals.
• FABRICmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFABRIC is a national-scale testbed that partnered with Trusted CI in 2021 to design security into the project from the beginning. FABRIC continues as a member of the Research Infrastructure Security Community (RISC).
• Purdue UniversitymajorTechnology or IntegrationTrusted CI adopted the Cybertrack Assessment Methodology developed through partnership between Purdue University and Indiana University for conducting cybersecurity assessments.
• Scripps Institution of OceanographymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrusted CI works with maritime operational technology experts at Scripps to develop cybersecurity guidance for research vessels, including the Operational Technology Procurement Vendor Matrix.
• Oregon State UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrusted CI partners with Oregon State University experts in maritime operational technology to develop cybersecurity guidance for research vessels.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• REN-ISAC: Research and Education Networking Information Sharing and Analysis Center; the closest peer organization, providing cybersecurity information sharing and threat intelligence to the same research and education community that Trusted CI serves, with overlapping threat-monitoring and community programs.
• OmniSOC: Shared cybersecurity operations center for higher education and research, hosted at Indiana University; directly comparable as a research-CI-focused security service, and already partners with Trusted CI on the Community Advisory vulnerability alerting newsletter.
• Internet2: Non-profit computer networking consortium serving U.S. research and education institutions; comparable as a multi-institution R&E cyberinfrastructure organization, with overlapping member base and federal funding model.
• ESnet (Energy Sciences Network): DOE-funded high-performance network serving national laboratories; directly comparable as a federally-funded research cyberinfrastructure provider with parallel cybersecurity and operational technology concerns, though DOE- rather than NSF-funded.
• IU Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research (CACR): Indiana University cybersecurity research center that serves as the lead institution for Trusted CI; deeply intertwined in operations, developing the Cybertrack assessment methodology and contributing core team members to Trusted CI.

Broad incumbents

• EDUCAUSE: Major higher-education IT association serving the same institutional customer base; comparable as a community/standards body for higher-ed cybersecurity, but operating broadly across IT rather than specializing in research cyberinfrastructure.
• Center for Internet Security (CIS): Non-profit operating the widely-used CIS Controls and CIS Benchmarks; comparable as a cybersecurity framework and best-practices provider, but serving a broad constituency including government and enterprise rather than research CI specifically.
• SANS Institute: Premier cybersecurity training and certification organization; comparable as a cybersecurity training and education provider serving professionals in the same community, but commercial and broader in scope.
• CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency): U.S. federal agency responsible for critical infrastructure cybersecurity; comparable in cybersecurity mission across the U.S. research and education ecosystem, but operating at a national-government scale rather than a research-CI-specific focus.

Regional players

• CANARIE: Canadian non-profit operating the national research and education network with associated cybersecurity programs; comparable in mission and structure but serving Canadian research institutions rather than U.S. NSF-funded entities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCD2sZ957eokDw8mcjkHXvXw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/trustedci
• Xx.com/trustedci

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Trusted CI