Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Tuesday that a “major cybersecurity center” is in the works for Baton Rouge.

The Louisiana Cyber Coordination Center, or LC³, is a project of the Louisiana National Guard, Stephenson Technologies Corp., an LSU research affiliate, and Radiance Technologies of Huntsville, Alabama. Through this initiative, Radiance plans to establish 15 new jobs in Louisiana and Alabama over the next 12 months.

LC³ will support cyber-security missions at military installations in Louisiana, including Fort Polk’s Joint Readiness Training Center and Barksdale Air Force Base’s Global Strike Command, and respond to civilian cyberattacks on schools, government institutions, and private workplaces.

LC³ will be housed at the Water Campus where the state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority headquarters is located. The LSU Center for River Studies, the Water Institute of the Gulf, the Center for Coastal & Deltaic Solutions, and the Baton Rouge engineering and design office of Stantec, a private firm, are also located there.

According to state officials, public and private investment in the Water Campus totals $107 million.

The state’s Economic Development agency will provide $1.5 million in funds to expand and build out an existing 11,000 square feet to meet government standards. The agency is also providing $500,000 to support lease payments for up to five years. Other project partners will provide up to $250,000 for facility operation.

Stephenson Technologies Corp., a nonprofit affiliate owned by LSU and federal contractor with the U.S. Department of Defense and Homeland Security, operates as a standalone corporation conducting in-depth research on cybersecurity initiatives.

Radiance Technologies provides advanced software tool development for Department of Defense customers, including modeling and simulation tool and capability development and embedded system software development. Most of Radiance’s work in Louisiana focuses on the cybersecurity and physical security of Department of Defense weapon systems and critical U.S. infrastructure, officials said.