The I3P was formed in response to several government assessments of the U.S. information infrastructure’s susceptibility to catastrophic failure. The first study, published in 1998 by the U.S. President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), recommended that a nongovernmental organization be formed to address national cyber security issues. Subsequent studies–by the Institute for Defense Analyses, as well as a white paper jointly produced by the National Security Council and the Office of Science and Technology Policy–agreed with the PCAST assessment, affirming the need for an organization dedicated to protecting the nation’s critical infrastructures.
In 2002, the I3P was founded at Dartmouth College, with a grant from the federal government. Since its inception, the I3P has:
- coordinated a national cyber security research and development program;
- built informational and research bridges among academic, industrial and government stakeholders; and
- developed and delivered technologies to address an array of vulnerabilities
Funding for the I3P has come from various sources, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).
After leading the I3P since 2003, Dartmouth Senior Vice Provost for Research Martin Wybourne announced his plan to step down as chair. Dartmouth and the I3P Executive Committee launched a competitive process and selected GW as the next host of the institute. On October 1, 2015 the George Washington University became the new host of the I3P. GW manages the I3P in collaboration with SRI International, an original member of the consortium. Dr. Diana Burley, professor of human and organizational learning in GW’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development, was named the I3P’s new executive director and chair.
