The University of New Hampshire is participating in a $11 million public-private cybersecurity partnership that officials say could advance the region’s manufacturing sector.

The university recently joined the Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CyManII), which is led by the University of Texas at San Antonio and includes a five-year agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy. The goal is to bring together dozens of the most advanced institutions researching smart and advanced manufacturing, secure automation and supply chains, workforce development and cybersecurity.

The institute will focus on shoring up security of industrial infrastructures vulnerable to cyberattacks that could compromise intellectual property and jeopardize American manufacturing jobs and workers.

“If you’re a manufacturer, you really need to protect your data, whether it’s quality assurance data you send along your supply chain or intellectual property that keeps the machines on your own factory floor producing state-of-the-art products,” said Brad Kinsey, professor of mechanical engineering and UNH lead for CyManII.

As a member, UNH and industry partners will have access to funding for research in cybersecurity and manufacturing, Kinsey said.

Like the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute based in Manchester, CyManII aims to propel an area of manufacturing through collaborations among members from academia, industry, nonprofits and government, according to Kinsey. Partnerships with New Hampshire and regional industry will be an essential component to any research and UNH’s CyManII involvement stands to advance the region’s manufacturing sector, he added.