Key Takeaways
- UW‑Milwaukee has earned CMMC Level 1 certification and is working toward Level 2 by November 2025.
- Level 2 will require secure lab spaces, a protected data enclave, and funding for upgrades.
- Achieving CMMC opens doors to federally funded defense‑related research projects and strengthens industry‑university partnerships.
- Researchers in the Center for Sustainable Electrical Energy Systems are already collaborating with Leonardo DRS, Eaton Corporation, and local firms on power‑and‑electricity projects, including U.S. Navy all‑electric ship initiatives.
- Military‑focused research often yields civilian benefits, such as microgrids for bases, medical campuses, and urban neighborhoods.
- CMMC safeguards intellectual property developed in the U.S., reducing the risk of corporate espionage and technology leakage.
- Sharing consultants and resources with UW‑Madison could lower costs and accelerate the certification process for both universities.
Overview of CMMC Certification Efforts at UWM
The University of Wisconsin‑Milwaukee is actively pursuing the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) to expand its eligibility for federal research funding. Vice Chancellor for Research Ali Abedi reported that UWM achieved Level 1 certification in January 2025 and is targeting Level 2 by November 2025. This progression is intended to bolster the university’s standing as an R1 (“highest research activity”) institution while creating new avenues for collaboration with local defense‑related companies.
Details of Level 1 Certification
To obtain Level 1, UWM verified that it employs basic cybersecurity safeguards for non‑classified research information. These measures include institutional policies, physical security such as door locks and surveillance cameras in research spaces, and access‑control lists that restrict laboratory entry to authorized personnel only. The Level 1 baseline ensures that everyday research data remain protected against inadvertent disclosure or low‑level threats.
Requirements and Plans for Level 2 Certification
Level 2 certification is substantially more demanding and costly. It calls for the construction of secured laboratory environments, the establishment of a isolated data enclave within the university’s network, and the use of protected communication channels when responding to federal solicitations. Abedi noted that securing external grants will be essential to finance these upgrades. No Wisconsin university currently holds Level 2 status, though UW‑Madison is pursuing it alongside UWM, opening opportunities for shared consulting services and cost savings.
Impact on Defense‑Industry Collaboration and Job Creation
A recent panel co‑hosted by UWM and WisPolitics explored how universities and industry can jointly expand defense‑related employment in Wisconsin, which presently hosts about 16,000 such positions. Professor Robert Cuzner, director of the Center for Sustainable Electrical Energy Systems, emphasized that CMMC Level 2 will enable UWM researchers to bid on federal projects alongside area firms like Leonardo DRS and Eaton Corporation. He highlighted that the region’s strong concentration of energy, power, controls, and automation companies creates a demand for graduate students with hands‑on experience—two recent PhD graduates from his lab now work for Leonardo DRS, exemplifying the pipeline from academia to industry.
Research Applications with Civilian Benefits
Cuzner’s applied research focuses on energy systems and fortifying electric grids in constrained environments such as military vessels, integrating energy storage into those systems. He argues that the same technologies—particularly electric microgrids—can serve civilian needs, providing resilient power for military bases, medical campuses, and urban neighborhoods. This dual‑use potential illustrates how defense‑driven innovation often transitions into broader societal advantages, echoing historic examples like the internet and early computing, which originated from military research.
Intellectual Property Protection Through CMMC
A core objective of the CMMC framework is to protect intellectual property generated within the United States from theft or espionage. Abedi warned that over recent decades, innovations such as microchips and advanced semiconductors have frequently been manufactured overseas, exposing proprietary details to corporate abuse. He likened the loss of such knowledge to losing the recipe for a secret sauce—once gone, it is difficult to recover. By enforcing stricter data‑handling protocols, CMMC creates trusted channels for universities, companies, and the federal government to collaborate while reducing the risk of illicit technology transfer.
Conclusion and Future Outlook
UWM’s pursuit of CMMC certification represents a strategic move to secure federal research dollars, deepen industry partnerships, and safeguard valuable intellectual property. The university’s efforts, especially within the Center for Sustainable Electrical Energy Systems, demonstrate how defense‑oriented projects can yield tangible civilian applications, from microgrid resilience to advanced energy storage. Continued cooperation with UW‑Madison and local firms will be critical to achieving Level 2 efficiently, ultimately fostering a stronger defense‑innovation ecosystem in Wisconsin and positioning the university as a leader in both secure research and sustainable energy technology.