Dive Brief: Virginia has launched a statewide competition to design cybersecurity solutions to protect internet of things (IoT) devices, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. Speaking on the first day of the virtual Smart Cities Connect conference, Northam said the contest through Virginia's Commonwealth Cyber Initiative will be open to college faculty as well as undergraduate and postgraduate students. Participants will work with cybersecurity experts on new innovations, with winning teams given help to get their products to market. The challenge, done in partnership with nonprofit US Ignite, officially opens on May 3 and is expected to last around 18 months. Dive Insight: