New University of Wolverhampton centre to help tackle cyber crime

The Centre for Cyber Security is a joint venture between the University of Wolverhampton and Herefordshire Council.

It will be located at Skylon Park in the Hereford Enterprise Zone.

The centre has been planned for Hereford due to the area’s strong links with cyber security. The city has bases for the Ministry of Defence and the SAS.

Skylon Park also houses The University of Wolverhampton’s business solutions centre.

The university has approved £1.5m to contribute to the centre, as well as securing grant funding of £4m from the Marches LEP Local Growth Fund and £1.16m of European Regional Development Fund.

Herefordshire Council has approved funding of £3.5m. Building works are expected to start in November with completion expected by spring 2020.

The facility will offer high quality research facilities through the university’s Cyber Security Research Institute, as well as providing office space for cyber businesses and advanced training to help tackle threats in cyberspace.

Cyber crime currently costs the UK between £18 billion and £27bn each year, with some 65 per cent of all large UK companies reporting a breach in the last year.

Professor Ian Oakes, deputy vice-chancellor at the University of Wolverhampton, said: “The university has already formed strong, collaborative relationships with key companies to engage with cyber research, training programmes and enterprise development and has a number of research teams associated with the development of cyber security.

“Our strategy is to bring together our collective expertise in a centre of excellence with partners both in the UK and internationally.

“The new centre will organise, facilitate and support the development of cyber security on a global scale whilst at the same time present us with opportunities to develop high quality academic, vocational educational and training programmes to address the digital skills shortage being experienced nationally.”

Councillor David Harlow, Herefordshire Council cabinet member for economy and communications, added: “The cyber security sector is an important and fast growing part of the UK economy.

“The new centre will provide a unique range of facilities including business space for research, product testing laboratory space and educational and training space.

“It will also act as a draw for national investment in the local economy.”

It is hoped the centre will be a ‘natural home’ for cyber security research across the country.

Andrew Manning Cox, chairman of the Enterprise Zone, said: “The new centre will firmly establish Skylon Park as a natural home for cyber security research and innovation, putting us at the cutting edge of this pioneering field.

“We already have a cluster of businesses working within the growing cyber security sector and the centre will be vital to building on this expertise in the coming years.”

While Graham Wynn, chairman of Marches LEP, said: “Defence and security businesses employ approximately 2,600 people across the Marches ranging from manufacturers of military vehicles, weapons, explosives, systems and technologies through to private security, security systems and investigation.

“Skylon Park is the only Enterprise Zone in the country to focus on the defence and security sector and our aim, through working in collaboration with the University of Wolverhampton, will be to build on the base of 70-plus small businesses operating locally in this market.

“This centre will stimulate an enhanced base of businesses engaged in cyber security solutions.”

The building will provide innovation workspace for small and start-up businesses to operate from, offering consultancy support from the university and shared facilities, including laboratory space and training rooms.