Tampa's ReliaQuest gifts FSU $1.5M for AI cybersecurity research

The Tampa cybersecurity firm ReliaQuest is giving Florida State University $1.5 million for a partnership aimed at researching and developing real world applications for AI technology in cybersecurity.

The money will go toward establishing an annual ReliaQuest Innovation Challenge at the Tallahassee university to “incentivize faculty research into some of the most complex use-cases for this dynamic field.”

The partnership, the company and FSU say in a statement, will foster academic research that looks at solving real-world industry challenges and accelerating practical breakthroughs in how organizations secure data, manage AI performance and operationalize intelligence.

ReliaQuest’s CEO and founder Brian Murphy says in the statement that “the cybersecurity landscape is only getting more complex, and challenge always creates opportunity for innovation.”

Murphy is an FSU alumnus and trustee.

The donation will also be used to establish the ReliaQuest Interdisciplinary Digital Badge Program in Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity. The program will give students hands-on training in AI and cybersecurity and mentorship.

The investment, as the company and FSU refer to the money, is the largest donation to date aimed at AI and cybersecurity, and "the interdisciplinary nature of the collaboration is expected to engage faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students across the university.”

ReliaQuest was founded in 2007 and has grown to 1,300 customers and 1,200 employees across six global operating centers. The private company announced last year that its valuation was $3.4 billion after a round of fundraising.

And in March it was ranked No. 8 in the cybersecurity category of Fast Company’s list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2026.