Membership

Industry Academia Collaboration

Women pointing to her research poster with two colleagues looking

The Cyber Energy Center operates on a simple but powerful principle: industry defines the problems, university researchers develop the solutions, and together we validate and deploy them. This is targeted innovation driven by your real-world needs. 

Through our Industry Advisory Board, member companies meet semi-annually to:

  • Define Research Priorities: Vote on which projects receive funding and resources
  • Steer Center Activities: Make recommendations on Center policy, direction, and operations
  • Review Progress: Regular briefings on ongoing research and technology development
  • Shape the Agenda: Propose new research areas based on emerging threats and industry needs.

This collaborative approach ensures that every research dollar spent addresses genuine industry needs and produces actionable results.

Membership Levels & Benefits

We offer two membership levels. Each provides value appropriate to your level of engagement.

Advising Member  

Best for: Organizations wanting to influence the cyber-energy research agenda and gain early visibility into emerging technologies.

  • Non-voting participation in the Industry Advisory Board
  • Participation in Center workshops and events
  • Restricted access to research presentations and findings
  • Ability to propose student team challenges
  • Recruitment access to Center students and graduates

Consulting Member

Best for: Companies seeking to implement Center-developed technologies within their operations and gain competitive advantage through early access to innovations.

  • All Advising Member benefits
  • Full voting rights in the Industry Advisory Board
  • Non-exclusive, royalty-free license to intellectual property generated through Center Projects
  • Enhanced access to research results and technical reports
  • Priority consideration for collaborative research opportunities 

RETI and the Cyber Energy Center

Pitt is part of an effort to recharge energy security and resilience with $320M for new technology, infrastructure and jobs 

The University of Pittsburgh, together with West Virginia University and Carnegie Mellon University, is a founding university of the Resilient Energy Technology and Infrastructure (RETI) Consortium. Joined by more than 60 regional partners, the three universities were named one of 12 NSF Regional Innovation Engines and will receive up to $160 million from the National Science Foundation over the next decade. Another $161 million will come from industry, workforce, philanthropic, state government, and community partners. Cybersecurity is one of four focus areas, alongside advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and energy technology.

Through RETI, Pitt researchers will work with our partners on novel ways to make our region's energy infrastructure more resilient. Our unique expertise in energy grid sensing, security and resiliency, and advanced manufacturing will be critical to developing these new technologies and translating them into practical solutions for our region.

Rob Cunningham, Co-Principal Investigator on RETI and Pitt Vice Chancellor for Research Infrastructure

For Cyber Energy Center members, this means a larger regional ecosystem that rewards the work our members already do. It creates opportunities to collaborate with a broader network of industry and university partners, to move cybersecurity technologies toward commercialization, and to draw on a workforce pipeline running from K-12 through post-graduate training. The initiative is projected to generate 21,000 jobs, 150 startups, and more than $1 billion in regional economic growth, as demand for reliable power grows with AI, data centers, and the reshoring of U.S. manufacturing.

Partners

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