Cybersecurity Center at Springfield Union Station Gains $3 Million Federal Earmark

SPRINGFIELD — U.S. Rep. Richard Neal joined Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, STCC President John Cook, and Springfield Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Amanda Pham this week to announce a $3 million earmark to establish a Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (CCE) within Springfield Union Station.

The allocation was made possible through congressionally directed spending from the U.S. Department of Education. Neal included funding for this project in the FY 2023 spending bill that was signed into law on Dec. 29.

“The threats facing our nation at both the national and local level are significant, and having the cutting-edge technology capable of countering these threats is of the utmost importance,” Neal said. “Union Station has become a world-class intermodal transportation hub for the Greater Springfield community, and it will now serve as home to a state-of-the-art cybersecurity training center. This will give the brightest young minds in our region the resources they need to combat these threats, ultimately expanding the region’s skilled workforce and shoring up the resiliency of our cybersecurity in Western Massachusetts and beyond.”

Added Cook, “we are tremendously grateful for these federal dollars, which provide a unique investment in students, community college, and the workforce needs of a key sector. Thank you, Congressman Neal, for championing Union Station and helping build our local cyber resiliency.”

The CCE will be developed and operated in collaboration with the MassCyberCenter and serve as a regional CCE for Western Mass. and beyond. The project brings together a consortia of area higher-education institutions, business and civic leaders, and facility professionals. The CCE will provide hands-on training and professional opportunities for students to develop a career in the burgeoning cyber workforce and will be an integral part of the Massachusetts Cybersecurity Consortium.