Seeking Subject Matter Experts Specializing in Cybersecurity and/or Research Security

CRDF Global is seeking subject matter experts (SME), or subject matter expert teams, specializing in cyber security and/or research security to develop and deliver in-person presentations for two symposia for an Eastern European audience from the advanced STEM research and manufacturing sector. This project, taking place between August and December 2022, aims to raise awareness of threats to institutional research and cybersecurity measures within the private sector and academic communities from proliferator actors and to then develop institutional capacity to mitigate these threats.

CRDF Global will promote nonproliferation efforts by hosting two iterations of a symposium that offers general lectures and then focused tracks on research security and institutional cyber security. These symposia will bring together a total of 100 stakeholders from the private and academic sectors in North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia who are engaged in advanced research and development in STEM fields. By cooperatively discussing issues and best practices in the cyber security field for private and public institutions and in the realm of research security this program will develop institutional capacity to protect their research, data, and technology from licit and illicit transfer, especially where the transfer may involve a malign purpose.

CRDF Global will host the first three-day symposium in Bratislava, Slovakia for approximately 60 participants and the second in Ljubljana, Slovenia also for approximately 40 participants. Each symposium will include several experts who will create presentations on the identified subject matter fields, participate in expert panels, and one expert team will develop a tabletop exercise that will explore and engage on the intersection of cyber and research security. The participants at the symposia will select a cyber-focused or a research security-focused track which will divide the participant base in half for most of each day in the symposium. They will all jointly participate in the group exercises, panels, and daily opening sessions, but there will be a total of four highly focused courses that will tailor remarks to cyber security and research security, bearing in mind the academic and private sector audience. The SMEs will be in a formal agreement to either create, review, and provide feedback on content material that will assist with delivery of the content in the form of sessions at one or both symposiums in one of the two subjects, participate in a panel with other experts to discuss subjects of the symposium, or will identify and communicate with organizations or individuals in respected country(ies), or a combination of objectives. All SMEs will be expected to engage in consistent communication with CRDF Global throughout their contract. CRDF Global will be hosting and facilitating all logistical aspects of this event including but not limited to: travel, venue, translation, and interpretation.

Each proposal must include:

• Statement of Interest and Technical Capabilities (including the list of RFP related capabilities and applicable past experience- see template attached);
• Cost proposal: description of the pricing and cost factors (e.g. hourly rates, fixed-cost pricing on standard services, etc.), that the Contractor would be willing to negotiate
• CV(s) of the SME(s) applying or offered for the assignment; if applying as part of a team, the CVs of all team members are required
• List of recent experience in the RFP Subject Matter area and applicable references/past performance
• Any Small or Disadvantaged Business Designations (Veteran Owned, HUB Zone, Women Owned, Disadvantaged Businesses)
• NAICS Codes:
  • 541620 Environmental Consulting Services- Small Business Threshold $15 million
  • 541690 Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services – $15 million