Florida Institute for Cybersecurity Research

What Florida Institute for Cybersecurity Research does

The Florida Institute for Cybersecurity Research (FICS Research) is a multidisciplinary cybersecurity research institute housed within the University of Florida's Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering in Gainesville, Florida. Founded in 2015 and relocated to the $150M, 263,440-square-foot Malachowsky Hall for Data Science & Information Technology in November 2023, the institute operates 23 staff and faculty who pursue research spanning hardware, networks, mobile, big data, IoT, applied cryptography, machine learning, social sciences, and law. Its flagship technical capabilities include the SAIF framework for AI-assisted SoC security verification, the PAINE (Physical Assurance and Inspection of Electronics) tools and SCAN Lab facilities (over $10M in advanced imaging equipment including X-ray Micro CT and SEM FIB systems), the T-PAINE undergraduate training pipeline for DoD careers, and the NSF-funded PRISM Center for privacy and security of marginalized populations. FICS Research holds the NSA/DHS National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Research designation and has produced a National Medal of Technology and Innovation recipient, multiple NSF CAREER awardees, IEEE and AAAS Fellows, and award-winning papers at IEEE S&P, NDSS, and HotStorage.

The institute operates as a non-profit, university-based research entity with no commercial product sales. Revenue is derived entirely from sponsored research: grants and contracts from federal agencies (NSF, DARPA, ONR, SRC), corporate partners (Visa Research, Toyota InfoTech Labs, NVIDIA, SRC), and sub-awards through UF. Documented awards include $7.5M (NSF PRISM), $7.8M (NSF/SRC on-chip security), $1.2M (NSF surveillance), $500K (DARPA SHINE), $900K (ONR SAIPA), and a $500K NSF CAREER award, alongside a $70M UF-NVIDIA AI partnership. Distribution occurs through collaborative research agreements, sponsored projects, technology transfer and spin-offs, the Industry Advisory Board, and an annual FICS Conference and Summit. Customer segments are Government and Defense (primary), Industry Partners, Students, and Vulnerable Populations (via PRISM). Leadership transitioned in 2026 from Dr. Kevin Butler to Dr. Farimah Farahmandi as Director.

Name

Florida Institute for Cybersecurity Research

Legal name

Florida Institute for Cybersecurity Research

Website

https://fics.institute.ufl.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FICS Research is the University of Florida's multidisciplinary cybersecurity research institute, conducting government- and industry-sponsored research across hardware security, IoT, AI, and privacy for federal agencies, defense, and corporate partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Gainesville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Sponsored Research: Research institute funded through sponsored research agreements with government agencies (NSF, DARPA, ONR, SRC) and industry partners. Revenue comes from grants, contracts, and project funding rather than commercial product sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

FICS Research is a multidisciplinary cybersecurity research institute at the University of Florida that conducts sponsored research in hardware security, networks, mobile, big data, IoT, applied cryptography, machine learning, and privacy. It delivers research collaborations, hardware security testing services through the SCAN Lab, summer training programs (T-PAINE) for DoD careers, and educational certificate programs, funded primarily through government grants and industry partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• T-PAINE: Physical Assurance and Inspection of Electronics summer training program at University of Florida, preparing undergraduates for careers in Department of Defense Agencies.
• PRISM
• SCAN Lab

Products and services

• T-PAINE Summer Training Program 9-week summer internship program that prepares undergraduates for Department of Defense careers with hands-on training in physical assurance and inspection of electronics (T-PAINE). Offers a minimum stipend of $5,000 to participants.
• PRISM Center for Privacy and Security of Marginalized and Vulnerable Populations NSF-funded national Center that transforms how the security community addresses cybersecurity needs of vulnerable populations, including people with disabilities, domestic violence survivors, and people in poverty.
• SCAN Lab Hardware Security Testing Services State-of-the-art microscopy and imaging lab services for physical inspection and failure analysis of integrated circuits and electronic components, featuring over $10M in advanced imaging equipment. Used for hardware security assessment, counterfeit IC detection, IC testing and characterization, burn-in and reliability analyses, and medical device testing.
• Sponsored Research Collaboration Collaborative research agreements and sponsored projects where external organizations fund specific research initiatives in exchange for access to findings, talent pipeline, and technology transfer opportunities. Covers hardware security, networks, mobile, big data, IoT, applied cryptography, machine learning, social sciences, and law.
• PAINE Tools Documentation Downloadable tools and documentation for physical inspection and assurance of electronic systems, providing state-of-the-art microscopy capabilities for physical inspection and failure analysis of integrated circuits and electronic components.
• FICS Research Cybersecurity Certificate Program Cybersecurity certificate academic program offered through FICS Research Academics, complementing the National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Research (CAE-R) designation.

Quantifiable outcome

• SAIF framework lowers security verification time by orders of magnitude while providing scalability of circuit complexity
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability16 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered strategic and core.

• Strathmore University (Kenya)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 September 2025Part of Gator Africa Initiative, engaging with leading academic institutions in Kenya for collaborative research in AI, cybersecurity, embedded systems, and sustainable engineering. Plans include guest lectures, MoU drafting, and establishing a tech hub in Nairobi.
• University of Nairobi (Kenya)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 September 2025Part of Gator Africa Initiative focusing on research collaborations and faculty exchange opportunities, visiting the African Center of Excellence in Internet of Things (ACEIoT) Lab.
• University of FloridacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 November 2023FICS Research is housed within Malachowsky Hall for Data Science & Information Technology, a $150M, 263,440 sq ft multidisciplinary facility supporting AI and data science research.
• Toyota InfoTech LabscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Research collaboration on vehicle security and autonomous systems, with unrestricted research funds supporting the infrared laser reflection attack research against traffic sign recognition systems.
• University of MichigancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Collaborative research on lidar sensor vulnerabilities and autonomous vehicle security, demonstrating laser attacks that can create blind spots in vehicle sensors.
• University of Electro-Communications (Japan)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022International collaboration on autonomous vehicle security research, part of the team that discovered lidar sensor vulnerabilities.
• University of California IrvinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Joint research on vehicle security and privacy, including infrared laser reflection attacks against traffic sign recognition systems.
• Visa ResearchstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaboration on AI privacy and security research, including Deep Learning with Plausible Deniability paper presented at NeurIPS 2025.
• Ohio State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 October 2019UF FICS Research and Ohio State lead the way in establishing two new Centers of Excellence in Hardware Security, with faculty including Mark Tehranipoor, Yier Jin, Navid Asadi, Domenic Forte, Farimah Farahmandi, and Kevin Butler joining forces with colleagues at OSU.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• UC Berkeley Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity (CLTC): UC Berkeley's CLTC is a multidisciplinary cybersecurity research center addressing technical and societal dimensions of security, comparable in academic structure and federal grant profile to FICS Research.
• Carnegie Mellon CyLab: CMU's CyLab is one of the largest and most established university cybersecurity research centers in the US, with similar multidisciplinary coverage spanning hardware security, cryptography, ML, and usable security, and competing for the same federal funding pools.
• NYU Center for Cybersecurity (CCS): NYU's Center for Cybersecurity is a multidisciplinary academic security research center that has even awarded FICS faculty (e.g., Social Impact Award at NYU CSAW), indicating a directly comparable academic cybersecurity research profile.
• Stanford Computer Science Security Lab: Stanford's security research groups span applied cryptography, hardware security, and systems security at scale, making them a direct comparable on research output, faculty caliber, and federal funding capture.
• Ohio State University Institute for Cybersecurity and Digital Trust (ICDT): Ohio State's ICDT is an active FICS partner that co-leads Centers of Excellence in Hardware Security, making it a directly comparable academic institute with overlapping research scope, federal sponsors, and faculty in hardware trust.
• Georgia Tech Institute for Information Security & Privacy (IISP): Georgia Tech's IISP is a university-based interdisciplinary cybersecurity research center covering hardware, systems, privacy, and policy, comparable in scope, federal funding profile, and industry partnership model to FICS Research.
• Purdue CERIAS: Purdue's Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security is the closest direct peer - a comprehensive multidisciplinary cybersecurity research institute at a major US engineering university, with overlapping coverage in hardware security, assurance, policy, and workforce development.

Broad incumbents

• MITRE Corporation: MITRE is a federally funded research and development center with deep cybersecurity research capabilities spanning hardware assurance, systems, and policy - a broader, established incumbent that often partners with or competes against university centers for federal program work.
• SRI International: SRI International is an independent nonprofit research institute with established cybersecurity and hardware assurance programs that competes with FICS for federal contracts while operating at significantly larger scale and broader portfolio.
• MIT Lincoln Laboratory: MIT Lincoln Laboratory is a federally funded R&D center with significant cybersecurity, hardware assurance, and AI security research programs, representing a larger, established counterparty that competes for defense research funding alongside university centers like FICS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/uf_fics
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/gatorengineering
• Facebookfacebook.com/UFWertheim
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uf-fics
• Instagraminstagram.com/ufwertheim

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Florida Institute for Cybersecurity Research