The Institute for Cyber-Resilient Efficient Manufacturing (CREM)

About Us

Welcome to the Institute for Cybersecurity for Resilient Efficient Manufacturing (CREM). Additive and digital manufacturing, Industry 4.0, automation in industrial control systems,  and the increasing connectedness of global supply chains together have helped manufacturing systems to be more efficient and cost-effective. Industrial control systems, the heart of Operational Technology (OT) in manufacturing plants, are being equipped with more computing and communication functions. Though these computation-driven architectures fuel innovation and energy efficiency, they expose the manufacturing ecosystem to cyberattacks.

Vision

The vision of CREM is to pursue a collaboration of academia, industry, federal labs, government, NGO and non-profit  to develop the next generation of secure automation, robust cyber-secure supply chain networks, and innovation in workforce development and education at the intersection of cybersecurity and manufacturing. CREM will take a comprehensive approach to address the need for cybersecurity in manufacturing and supply chain networks adopting Industry 4.0. We comprise the protective coating enabling advanced manufacturing to adapt and thrive in the corrosive elements of a dangerous world.

Institute Goals

Today’s challenge in cybersecurity is to create a protective, widely deployed framework to stay ahead of adversaries. This requires an adaptable, scalable, and low-cost framework combined with diligent workforce development. Therefore, the Institute goals are the following:

  • Innovate in workforce development and education by following recommendations from our partners and leveraging K-12, community college, and higher education resources in Maryland.
  • Create the OT Cyber Range as a platform for education and research in OT cybersecurity for k-12, community colleges, higher education and small to mid-sized manufacturers.
  • Secure automation in industrial control systems with an awareness of physical hardware and cyber control abstraction layers to detect attacks and allow safe degraded modes, secure manufacturing assets through robust software verification, and lightweight authentication and attestation techniques for IoT sensors.
  • Secure global supply chain through key innovations in watermarking, zero-trust authentication, and traceability; provide real-time detection of anomalies, piracy, and cyberthreats.
  • Develop novel digital twin systems for emulating assets in manufacturing units and supply chain for evaluation and real-time threat detection.
  • Provide significant advances in U.S. manufacturing competitiveness by securing all aspects and serve as the connecting tissue of the manufacturing food chain.