Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Request for Information on a National Plan for Cyber-Physical Systems Resilience, 78915-78916 [2024-22005]

Agencies

• NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 187 (Thursday, September 26, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78915-78916]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-22005]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Networking and Information Technology Research and Development 
Request for Information on a National Plan for Cyber-Physical Systems 
Resilience

AGENCY: Networking and Information Technology Research and Development 
(NITRD) National Coordination Office (NCO), National Science 
Foundation.

ACTION: Request for information.

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SUMMARY: On behalf of Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), 
the NITRD National Coordination Office seeks public input for the 
creation of a National Plan for Cyber-Physical Systems Resilience 
Research (the Plan). The goal of the plan is to shape a whole-of-
government research and development (R&D) plan related to cyber-
physical resilience across systems that may be local, regional, or 
national in scope. As defined in the President's Council of Advisors on 
Science and Technology (PCAST) Report, Strategy for Cyber-Physical 
Resilience: Fortifying Our Critical Infrastructure for a Digital World, 
cyber-physical systems are defined as physical systems that rely on 
computing technologies for sensing, analysis, tracking, controls, 
connectivity, coordination, and human-system interaction. The National 
Climate Resilience Framework defines resilience as the ability to 
prepare for threats and hazards, adapt to changing conditions, and 
withstand and recover rapidly from adverse conditions and disruptions. 
From the perspective of the RFI, the system recovery period and 
performance are acceptable from a social and technical perspective. 
These definitions will be used for the purposes of this RFI, but 
respondents are welcome to provide alternate definitions if cyber-
physical systems have a different meaning in their industry or field, 
along with the scientific rationale for specific use-cases. The Plan is 
scheduled to be released in 2025.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
11:59 p.m. (ET) on October 26, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Comments submitted in response to this RFI may be sent by 
any of the following methods:
     Email: [email protected]; Email submissions should be 
machine-readable and not be copy-protected. Submissions should include 
``RFI Response: Cyber-Physical Systems Resilience R&D Plan'' in the 
subject line of the message.
     Mail: Attn: Melissa Cornelius, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, 
Alexandria, VA 22314, USA.
    Instructions: Response to this RFI is voluntary. Each individual or 
institution is requested to submit only one response. Submissions must 
not exceed 10 pages in 12 point or larger font, with a page number 
provided on each page. Responses must include the name of the person(s) 
or organization(s) filing the comment and the following statement: 
``This document is approved for public dissemination. The document 
contains no business-proprietary or confidential information. Document 
contents may be reused by the government in the National Cyber-Physical 
Systems Resilience R&D Strategic Plan and associated documents without 
attribution.''
    Responses to this RFI may be posted online at https://www.nitrd.gov/. Therefore, we request that no business proprietary 
information, copyrighted information, or sensitive personally 
identifiable information be submitted as part of your response to this 
RFI.
    In accordance with FAR 15.202(3), responses to this notice are not 
offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding 
contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated 
with responding to this RFI.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Alexander, David Corman, Kristin 
Ludwig, Melissa Cornelius, Martin Stanley at [email protected] or 
(202) 459-9674. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the 
deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-
800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., eastern time, Monday through 
Friday, except for U.S. Federal Government holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  The (PCAST) released its report, Strategy 
for Cyber-Physical Resilience: Fortifying our Critical Infrastructure 
for a Digital World. The report makes recommendations to formulate a 
National Plan for Cyber-Physical Resilience Research. The goal is to 
enable focused research across Federal programs that increase the 
likelihood of successful research results, but more importantly help 
ensure that such results will transition into practice. In response to 
this, the Fast-Track Action Committee (FTAC) on Cyber-Physical Systems 
Resilience (CPSR) is developing a National Cyber Physical Systems 
Resilience (R&D) Strategic Plan (the Plan) which will define research 
needs that will strengthen our national capability to cyber-physical 
resilience; identify the gaps; and define research needs, and 
investment priorities spanning across multiple time horizons. The Plan 
will coordinate cross-agencies priorities. Responsible innovation in 
cyber physical resilience could provide significant benefits for the 
American people especially as systems need to adapt to emergent 
behaviors or operating conditions far exceeding design specifications.
    Information Requested: This RFI seeks input to shape a whole-of-
government effort on research and development that will strengthen 
cyber-physical resilience.
    In the context of this RFI, we refer to threats to include 
cybersecurity, physical, natural disasters including extreme weather 
events or other hazards such as earthquakes, and the potential for 
adversary use of AI to disrupt systems as well as deceive human 
operators of critical infrastructure systems.
    Threat-agnostic approaches for resilience are of special interest. 
As part of the input, we are primarily concerned with the ability of 
cyber-physical

[[Page 78916]]

systems to recover and adapt while ability to withstand may be already 
covered in the current risk assessment and management efforts. We are 
particularly interested in how resilience by design or resilience by 
intervention can prepare for recovery and adaptation in different 
threat scenarios as well as in threat-agnostic situations.
    Examples of domains and application of interest include but are not 
limited to critical infrastructure and systems for energy, 
transportation, medical, agriculture, water, space, manufacturing, and 
other R&D topic areas in which the strategic plan should focus, as well 
as details that should be considered when/if the topic area is 
elaborated in the strategic plan.
    This RFI is NOT soliciting approaches solely focused on risk 
assessment and management through shielding cyber-physical systems from 
specific threats including threat identification and sensing, or 
through hardening the system to make it less vulnerable to specific 
threat or disruptions. Submitters are encouraged to address the topics 
of this RFI clearly and concisely.

References

 PCAST Releases Report on Strategy for Cyber-Physical 
Resilience (https://www.whitehouse.gov/pcast/briefing-room/2024/02/27/pcast-releases-report-on-strategy-for-cyber-physical- resilience/
), The White House, February 2024.
 National Climate Resilience Framework (https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/National-Climate-Resilience-Framework-FINAL.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/National-Climate-Resilience-Framework-FINAL.pdf).
 Strategy for Cyber-Physical Resilience: Fortifying Our 
Critical Infrastructure for a Digital World, (https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/PCAST_Cyber-Physical-Resilience-Report_Feb2024.pdf) Executive Office of the President, 
President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, February 
2024.
 Cyber-Physical Systems Resilience--The Networking 
and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program 
(https://www.nitrd.gov/coordination-areas/cyber-physical-systems-resilience/).
 Submitted by the National Science Foundation in support of 
the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development 
(NITRD) National Coordination Office (NCO) on September 20, 2024.

Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2024-22005 Filed 9-25-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P