# Georgia Southern Earns CMMC Certification

Georgia Southern University’s Talon Secure research environment earned Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Level 2 with a perfect assessment score and no deficiencies across 14 security categories. The certification gives university researchers a pathway to compete for Department of War funding that requires these protections and to participate in defense-funded projects as research partners or subcontractors. The signal does not identify a specific solicitation or award.

- The certification may make Georgia Southern a more viable research teammate for primes and other institutions pursuing defense-funded work that involves protected information.
- Contractors seeking university research partners can evaluate Talon Secure’s certified environment for projects with applicable CMMC Level 2 requirements; the certification alone does not establish eligibility for every DoD/DoW opportunity.
- Georgia Southern’s research and security leadership cited the assessment as confirmation that protections are implemented in practice, relevant to organizations evaluating research environments for defense work.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Defense & Military, Education
**Topics:** Cybersecurity, Grants & Funding
**Published:** November 03, 2026

### Government Entities
- Department of War (referred to as the Department of Defense in the headline) (DoW / DoD)

### Key Quotes
> The assessment confirmed our protections are followed in practice, not just written down, and that is what gives our researchers an environment they can trust.
> — Nic Carroll, Chief Information Security Officer

### Sources
- [Georgia Southern receives perfect score on cybersecurity audit, gains access to increased research opportunities from the Department of Defense  - Grice Connect](https://www.griceconnect.com/amp/local-news/georgia-southern-receives-perfect-score-on-cybersecurity-audit-gains-access-to-increased-research-opportunities-from-the-department-of-defense-12951581) - Grice Connect