The project funding is part of the White House’s National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC) initiative, which is designed to protect consumers from online fraud and identity theft and beef up privacy protections.
The pilot projects need to go beyond simple user IDs and passwords. “We’re looking for innovative approaches that can advance the NSTIC vision and provide a foundation upon which a trusted, user-centric identity ecosystem can be constructed”, said Jeremy Grant, NIST’s senior executive advisor for identity management.
NIST said proposals should include technologies and approaches that create identity hubs to validate credentials with strong authentication methods meeting agreed upon standards; provide incentives for consumers to use trusted authentication methods in lieu of user IDs and passwords; include improved ways to enhance consumer privacy, while meeting business and security needs; and/or demonstrate interoperability across various technologies such as smart cards, one-time passwords, or digital certificates.
To apply for funding, proposers must be accredited institutions of higher education, hospitals, nonprofit organizations, commercial organizations, or nonfederal governments located in the United States and its territories.
NIST is holding a proposers’ conference in Washington, DC, along with a live webcast, on Feb. 15 at 9 a.m. EST; proposals are due by March 7.