UDM receives $7.75 million from U.S. Department of War

Funding will help significantly strengthen pipeline of professionals within the military and defense industrial bases.

A major grant from the U.S. Department of War (DoW) will allow University of Detroit Mercy to expand an education-to-workforce pipeline as the U.S. faces growing workforce shortages in critical technology fields.

The $7.75-million award will help address critical shortages in the military and defense industrial base while preparing students for careers in high-demand technology fields. It will focus on advancing technological disciplines essential to modern military operations including cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, machine learning and systems engineering.

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters played a crucial role in securing funding for the initiative through his role on the Senate Appropriations Committee in the Fiscal Year 2026 Appropriations Bill.

"These investments are critical to strengthening our national security while creating educational and career opportunities for Michiganders," Peters said

The U.S. Office of the National Cyber Director says the country faces a shortage of cybersecurity professionals at a time when cyber threats, AI-driven risks and rapidly evolving warfare technologies have skyrocketed, creating a demand for highly skilled professionals who can combat these threats.

"In new technology areas, where we see both opportunities and challenges, ethical leadership is vital," Detroit Mercy President Donald B. Taylor said. "Detroit Mercy is perfectly positioned to provide both the technical skills and the ethical grounding that will make our graduates excel."

This funding will support initiatives to strengthen workforce pathways from high school through doctoral candidates, active-duty military personnel, DoW civilian employees and defense industrial base professionals. It will also provide significant scholarships for students interested in studying these fields.

Advanced technologies will be integrated into pre-college programming, undergraduate and graduate degrees, microcredentials, and research opportunities creating pathways to defense-focused internships and career advancement.

A board of advisors composed of leaders from industry, the military and academia, will guide the strategic priorities of this new initiative to ensure they align with the evolving needs of the DoW.

Paul Spadafora, co-principal investigator and director of Professional Engineering Programs for UDM's College of Engineering & Science, said the University is ready to lead the initiative.

"The University will be expanding the success already accomplished through the DoW's VICEROY program to build scalable, high impact education-to-workforce pathways," he said.

UDM's new masters in Vehicle Cyber Engineering and Vehicle Cyber Technology programs have supported upskilling for General Dynamics, U.S. Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC), as well as General Motors Company, Bosch, and other leading companies in the area, he added.

The DoW has provided UDM funding of $2.1 million through the Virtual Institute for Cyber and Electromagnetic Spectrum Research and Employ (VICEROY), a cyber-focused leadership development program designed to train future military and civilian leaders in critical cyber and electromagnetic spectrum operational skills.

Through VICEROY, UDM created the Metro-Detroit Regional Vehicle Cybersecurity Institute, a regional consortium that works with government and industry partners in areas such as autonomy, energy resilience, advanced manufacturing and cyber-secure operations, while helping develop a pipeline of engineers and scientists prepared to address emerging defense and security challenges.

Katherine Snyder, dean of the College of Engineering & Science and co-principal investigator, said the award represents another step forward in expanding experiential learning and career opportunities for students.

"By expanding opportunities for research, experiential learning and collaboration, we will help meet critical technical workforce needs in Detroit, across the region and throughout the nation, including areas important to our nation's security," she said.

Detroit Mercy has long been a leader in cybersecurity education and defense workforce development. The University has been recognized by the National Security Agency as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense, one of the original 50 programs designated across the nation in 2004.

For more information about Detroit Mercy's College of Engineering & Science and its technical programs, visit eng-sci.udmercy.edu and https://www.udmercy.edu/academics/cybersecurity.php.