Trusted CI has successfully completed its Research Cybersecurity Cohort pilot, designed to help research organizations address emerging research cybersecurity-related research security requirements (such as NSPM-33).
Assessing and Advancing Cybersecurity
Each organization received a tailored “Research Cybersecurity Engagement Report” containing Trusted CI’s strategic and controls-level recommendations to support advancing their cybersecurity programs. The report also included implementation ratings for both a subset of the Trusted CI Framework Musts and the CIS Safeguards that map to the NSF Critical Controls.
The successful pilot cohort included the following organizations:
- Globus at the University of Chicago
- SafeInsights at Rice University
Iterative Improvements
Though sufficient processes and training were already in place to launch the pilot, Trusted CI concurrently developed new research security components to integrate into the engagement. This included developing and modifying training materials, mapping the NSF Critical Controls to the CIS Controls, restructuring the engagement to include security controls assessments, and making significant revisions to the final engagement report.
Looking Ahead: The Next Cohort
Building on this success, Trusted CI began a second Research Cybersecurity cohort pilot engagement in July 2026. Participating members include:
Trusted CI is excited to work alongside these higher education institutions to advance their cybersecurity programs, implement best practices, and gather valuable insights on how they are tackling emerging research cybersecurity requirements.
Get in Touch
For more information about the cohort program or our framework, please contact us at info@trustedci.org.
