CICI: UCSS: Advancing Security in TEE-Enabled Scientific Research Workflows: A Holistic Approach

NSF Award Search · 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT · $599,999 · view on nsf.gov ↗

Abstract

Scientific breakthroughs in fields such as genomics, drug discovery, and materials science increasingly depend on large-scale computational workflows executed on high-performance computing (HPC) platforms. These workflows coordinate thousands of interdependent computational tasks, creating unprecedented collaboration opportunities but also introducing serious cybersecurity vulnerabilities. A single compromised step can lead to inaccurate scientific conclusions, disruption of critical research, or breaches of confidential data. Foreign adversaries actively target American research infrastructure to steal intellectual property and gain competitive advantages. By establishing a strong foundation of computational trust, this project protects scientific data and ensure research integrity, even when computations run on shared or potentially compromised computer systems. This enables confidence in scientific collaboration, protect sensitives information and helps preserve America's scientific leadership. The SafeSci-TEE award advances the state of the art in cyberinfrastructure by introducing novel techniques in runtime and distributed attestation tailored to scientific workflows. The project develops continuous runtime attestation mechanisms for confidential virtual machines, ensuring that HPC applications within trusted execution environments (TEEs) maintain integrity throughout execution. It also creates a distributed attestation framework that propagates trust across multip

Key facts

NSF award ID
2530909
Awardee
University of Connecticut (CT)
SAM.gov UEI
WNTPS995QBM7
PI
wei zhang
Primary program
01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
All programs
Estimated total
$599,999
Funds obligated
$599,999
Transaction type
Standard Grant
Period
09/01/2025 → 08/31/2028