The McCrary Institute at Auburn University has been granted $10 million by the Department of Energy to create a cybersecurity center focused on the electrical grid.

The new Southeast Region Cybersecurity Collaboration Center (SERC3) will be a joint effort with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and will involve private sector, academia, and government collaboration.

SERC3 is tasked with addressing the cybersecurity workforce shortage and will train specialists in cyber-physical systems, focusing on the energy sector.

The initiative will conduct research and develop new technologies to protect U.S. infrastructure from cyber threats, with a particular emphasis on nation-state actors like China.

The center also plans to evaluate cyber risks in the energy sector and determine the most effective risk mitigation projects to enhance security.