Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and a member of President Biden’s Cabinet, announced today the launch of the Cyber Prize Competition. The initiative will award $350,000 to an organization tasked with developing and deploying a national Cyber Certification Program for SBA resource partners.
The program aims to establish a cyber counseling certification to prepare employees of SBA resource partners to assist small businesses with cyber planning. These resource partners include Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), Women’s Business Centers (WBCs), SCORE, Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOCs), and other entities that provide direct services to startups and existing small businesses.
The selected prize winner will be responsible for developing the cyber curriculum, delivering courses, conducting assessments and certifications, and managing the overall Cyber Certification Program. Applications are open until Aug. 15, 2024, at 5 p.m. ET. More information on how to apply can be found at Challenge.gov.
The competition has specific eligibility criteria:
- It is not open to individuals or for-profit entities.
- Eligible entities must be organized or incorporated in the United States and must be institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, chambers of commerce, or any entity with a current cooperative agreement or grant with the SBA.
- SBA employees and contractors are not eligible, nor are federal entities or federal employees acting within their employment scope.
- Organizations currently suspended or debarred by the federal government are also ineligible.
The U.S. Small Business Administration reserves the right to cancel, suspend, or modify the Challenge at its sole discretion.
This initiative follows the Small Business Cyber Training Act of 2022, which amended §21 of the Small Business Act to establish a cyber training program for SBDC employees (15 U.S.C. §648 (o)).
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power American business ownership dreams by providing resources and support needed for starting, growing, expanding businesses or recovering from declared disasters. The SBA delivers services through an extensive network of field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
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