Thin cybersecurity research cash

The National Science Foundation can fund only a small number of the research proposals it receives on IT security, according to NSF official Peter Freeman.

Freeman, assistant director of NSF's computer and information science and engineering directorate, said the agency has received more than 150 responses to a solicitation in computer security, and about one-third of the proposals are promising.

However, the agency can only fund 10 percent of the proposals, Freeman said.

Rep. William Clay (D-Mo.) said the federal government would spend $2.2 billion in IT-related research and development this year.