Technology Advancement Center (TAC), formerly MISI, is a cybersecurity nonprofit fueling the people and technology needed to solve critical cybersecurity challenges. The TAC’s three pillars of focus include: small business and academic engagement, STEM and workforce development, and proof of concept innovation.
Through collaboration with small businesses, academic researchers, and non-traditional members of the cybersecurity community, TAC serves as an intermediary and helps connect U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) and the U.S. government to the innovative products and solutions needed to advance the nation’s cybersecurity capabilities.
Everyone is connected to “cyber” in one way or another – like getting to work in the subway, or powering the electric grid to keep our homes up and running.
TAC’s work is fueled by a desire to help keep cyberspace protected, and empower current and future cyber warfighters.
TAC pursues engagement with researchers in higher education settings who are doing research in all areas of cybersecurity and defense innovation, for example, working on healthcare or railway security, communication, and satellite communication networks, etc. Finding those researchers, programs, and vendors working in academia will contribute to solving the U.S. Government’s biggest challenges. About 80% of the TAC ecosystem is represented by small business, with a reach of well over 100 academia and nontraditional communities supported.
Other initiatives include hosting small businesses to offer guidance to assist them in providing their solutions to USCC and entrepreneurship, such as our partnership with the Maryland Department of Commerce’s Global Gateway Soft Landing Program.
There are many ways to support K-12 students, college and university ecosystems, and current members of the workforce. This could look like “cyberships” (our favorite word for internship) and apprenticeships, competitions designed for all skill levels like our Hack the Building series, or Cyber Saturday and GenCyber type events hosted jointly at TAC facilities.
We are constantly working on innovative solutions to help solve the nation’s shortfall of skilled cybersecurity professionals, and TAC firmly believes that initiatives that nurture the future workforce are critical. Through events run by TAC, or collaborative opportunities with other industry resources, we hope to ignite curiosity in younger students that will lead to a new passion for cybersecurity while they gain practical skills.
One such event is Cyber Quest, TAC’s own STEM initiative designed to bring the world of cybersecurity to kids. In collaboration with GenCyber, local schools and other organizations, TAC’s Cyber Quest events present immersive and interactive cybersecurity activities to inspire and educate the next generation of cyber warriors. For each Cyber Quest event, a team of TAC subject matter experts and experienced engineers develop a custom playbook of scenarios for students to work through, giving them firsthand experience and new insights into the cybersecurity landscape.
Our Hack the Building events feature hacking competitions and a series of cybersecurity presentations and cybersecurity exercises for students and professionals. We want to empower cyber war fighters to defend our most critical infrastructures.
TAC is honored to play a role in supporting local and national companies that are interested in bringing innovative, cutting-edge technology to the U.S. TAC works with non-traditional companies that have the potential to address the U.S. Department of Defense and other government cybersecurity and technology needs. Some of the ways we support proof of concept innovation for the industry include:
Visit our spaces of collaboration
We operate programs out of TAC facilities, including two nationally acclaimed Defense Mission Accelerators with over 100,000 square feet of space that serve as non-government-owned or operated independent facilities to provide cyber national mission forces and partners with continuous innovation in cyber capabilities: TheLink and DiscoveryX.
