NSF, DOE Launch Research Coordination Network to Advance Privacy Research

The National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy have created a research coordination network focused on advancing privacy research and the development, deployment and scaling of privacy-enhancing technologies.

Led by the Future of Privacy Forum Education and Innovation Foundation, the network is expected to produce technologies that will enable data analysis while safeguarding individual privacy and addressing concerns associated with data analysis techniques.

The network comes after President Joe Biden’s executive order on the safe, secure and trustworthy use of artificial intelligence, which recommends the advancement of a data ecosystem where data can be unlocked while protecting privacy, the NSF said.

Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, director of DOE’s Office of Science, said privacy-enhacing technologies are vital in a data-driven landscape, allowing researchers to safeguard sensitive datasets and information while continuing research and development.

The NSF has been investing to advance privacy research. In March 2023, it granted Sepideh Ghanavati, assistant professor of computer science at The University of Maine, a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award worth nearly $680,000 to develop a technology that will recommend privacy technical and policy solutions proactively.