£700k fund in boost for cyber security
AN ECOSYSTEM of cyber security professionals in Wales is set to receive £50,000 of investment.
Cyber Wales will use the injection of funds to help provide opportunities for networking and knowledge-sharing, as well as supporting skills development and innovation.
The investment is the result of a £700,000 fund created by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to support the UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration
(UKC3), a network of 20 UK cyber business clusters, employers and local organisations, which includes Cyber Wales and its network of nine Welsh cyber clusters.
Cyber Wales will look to play an integral role in the UKC3 initiative. John Davies, pictured, the founder and chair of Cyber Wales, has been selected as a board member of UKC3 and appointed as its Cyber Skills Growth Lead.
On the investment and Wales’ role in UKC3, Mr Davies, said: “This is a very welcome initiative from DCMS and a fantastic way to increase collaboration between the UK cyber clusters, encourage innovation and accelerate the development of cyber skills.
“Cyber clusters with appropriate governance can apply to UKC3 for funding to support the growth of their groups or special projects which may benefit the wider cyber community. None of the Welsh cyber clusters have received any funding to date, but we are all looking forward to this new chapter in the evolution of the cyber ecosystem in Wales.”
The influence of Wales’ cyber ecosystem already extends globally, as Cyber Wales has memorandums of understanding and collaboration agreements with cyber clusters in more than 40 countries. Cyber Wales is also a founding member of GlobalEPIC, the Global Ecosystem of ecosystems for Partnership and Innovation in Cyber, which formed in 2017.
The ecosystem currently has more than 2,500 members from more than 900 organisations and is growing every month. This makes it the largest cyber ecosystem of its kind in the UK, with large companies choosing to locate either their European headquarters or significant cyber operations in and around Wales.
Announcing the funding, UK Government minister for digital infrastructure, Matt Warman, said: “Our cyber security sector is already worth £8.9bn and we’re working tirelessly to take its magnificent growth to the next level”.