UK Government plans new cybersecurity innovation centre
Someone to watch over me…
The UK is fighting back against cyberattacks with a new cybersecurity innovation centre in London and investment of up to £14.5 million to develop technology to help keep the nation safe.
The investment will be made over the next three years to bolster the UK’s cybersecurity defences, and follows on from February, when the new National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) was unveiled. The NCSC will work with the Bank of England (BoE) to produce advice for the financial sector for managing cybersecurity.
With the new centre, the UK Government will bring together large firms to work with start-ups and industry experts to develop new technologies.
As the cyber threat is very real and potent, the UK wants to give start-ups access to technical mentoring, business support and advice to help them to grow in their early stages and contribute to the UK’s £22 billion cybersecurity sector.
Minister for Digital Matt Hancock says the new centre “will build on London’s thriving digital start-up scene with one tech company estimated to be formed every hour in the capital”.
A competition to develop and design the new centre has been launched by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. The centre is expected to open in early 2018.
The planned London hub is one of two new centres.
An innovation centre in Cheltenham (a town in south-west England and home to GCHQ – Government Communications Headquarters) opened earlier this year with the launch of the GCHQ cyber accelerator programme.
Seven start-ups have so far graduated from the GCHQ accelerator with a competition to find the next cohort due to close on 9 August.
These initiatives are part of the UK Government’s £1.9 billion investment to revamp the nation’s cybersecurity. Called the 2016-2021 National Cyber Security Strategy – it sets out how the UK Government will cope in our digital (and often dangerous) world.
