Grant funds for cyber internships

Expand your team with the Central Virginia Node of the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative Program 

This summer, VCU College of Engineering can subsidize a limited number of cyber internships for Virginia college & community college students through the Central VA Node (CVN) of the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) program. CCI's mission is to serve as an engine for research, workforce development, and innovation at the intersection between cybersecurity, autonomous systems, and intelligence. In support of this, CVN is supporting internships this summer for Virginia college and community college students. 

Please see below for more information:

• CVN funds will be used to pay the student interns on a sliding scale. For organizations with less than 100 employees, CVN will pay 100% of the intern cost; for organizations with 100-499 employees CVN will pay 50% of the intern cost, and; for organizations with 500+ employers, CVN will pay 25% of the intern cost.
• The suggested rate of pay is $25/hour. 
• Internships can be either full-time (400 hours) or part-time (200 hours) in the summer, for 10 weeks. 
• These internships must include a focus on cybersecurity, autonomous systems, data, smart health (i.e. medical device security), or smart communities (i.e. autonomous vehicles). 

To participate in the program, employers must be approved by VCU and will be required to sign an agreement. Employers are expected to provide training and oversight as needed to student interns, and encourage a truly professional work experience. 

Want to hear more? Please contact Rebecca Kurihine, Employer Relations Specialist, at rskurihine@vcu.edu.

FAQ’s

Which employers are eligible to participate? 

Any Virginia operating company is eligible to participate. 

Which students are eligible to participate?   

Students at 9 different colleges and universities are eligible to participate. See the full list of CVN schools listed at the bottom of this page.

How do we recruit these students?  

Email your job ad to Laura Lemza, lemzala@vcu.edu, to post on Handshake and the CVN webpage. VCU Engineering Career Services will also host all CVN employers for a strategic recruitment event during the spring semester to help drive application numbers.

How do students get paid?  

The employer pays the student through their usual payroll procedure, for their committed portion of the rate of pay. Students receive the grant portion of their pay through VCU, coordinated through our VCU Engineering Office of Grants Management and the College of Engineering Finance Department.