Regis University Receives $1 Million in Federal Funding for Cybersecurity Defense Center
Regis University will receive more than $1 million in federal funding to establish a state-of-the-art Center for Cyber Security Defense, U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette announced last week.
The $1,031,000 award, part of the Commerce, Justice, Science appropriations package signed into law last month, will support renovations and equipment for a new training facility. The center will provide students with high-performance computing infrastructure and AI-driven cyber defense tools to advance education, workforce development and innovation.
The investment comes as Colorado faces a shortage of nearly 17,000 cybersecurity professionals, part of more than 450,000 open positions nationwide, according to recent data. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 30% growth in demand for security analysts over the next decade. The center will function as a simulated Security Operations Center, offering hands-on training that mirrors real-world security operations. Students will work with cloud-based cyber range platforms, AI-driven threat emulation, and real-time data analysis tools.
Regis is designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security. The university received approximately $1 million in federal funding in 2018 to develop an innovative cybersecurity curriculum that has since been applied nationwide.
The new center will support Regis' Master of Science in Information and Cyber Security and Master of Science in Applied Artificial Intelligence, as well as research in artificial intelligence."
"As AI-augmented cybersecurity threats grow, this funding will allow Regis University's Anderson College of Business and Computing to develop a cutting-edge facility that trains cyber-defense professionals for Colorado and the nation," said Madhu Rao, dean of Anderson College of Business and Computing.
Regis plans to have the facility operational within 12 months. The first cohort of at least 40 undergraduate and graduate students is expected to begin training in the fall of 2027.
DeGette, who represents Colorado's 1st Congressional District, championed the community project funding request for Regis. "By funding innovative research, strengthening public safety, expanding affordable housing, modernizing infrastructure and improving energy efficiency, we are making smart, forward-looking investments that will improve quality of life and create opportunity in Denver," DeGette said.
The funding for Regis was among 12 community project funding requests totaling $16,050,000 for the Denver metro area included in the appropriations package.