The state is giving UMass Amherst $5 million to establish a public-private data science and cybersecurity research collaborative.The grant announced Wednesday is designed to drive the commercialization of new products and ideas, train a data science workforce and support economic development in the Pioneer Valley. In June, then-MassMutual Foundation President Nick Fyntrilakis announced a 10-year, $15 million grant to support the school’s cybersecurity program.
“Cybersecurity is now considered the No. 1 threat faced by our country,” Fyntrilakis said. “On average a data breach cost an organization more than $160 million not to mention the damage done to its reputation and obviously to the individuals that are impacted.”
The state funding will also support new equipment at the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center in Holyoke.
