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• Four UKC3 recognised clusters collaborate with Plexal to deliver the DCMS-funded programme, Cyber Runway.
• Cyber Runway aims to support cyber security development in the UK, with an important focus on female-led enterprises and Black, Asian, or minority ethnic background founders.
• The clusters’ support to Cyber Runway backs-up UKC3’s objective to grow the cyber security sector in the UK through innovation and cyber skills development.

Four UKC3 recognised cyber clusters join Plexal in the Cyber Runway programme to support the growth of the UK’s cyber sector. Cyber Wales, NI Cyber (Northern Ireland), ScotlandIS Cyber and Yorkshire Cyber Security Cluster will be working to drive innovation growth in the cyber security sector in their regions.

This is an exciting development for UKC3, which will enable one of the key objectives of this entity, namely driving innovation growth for regional and ultimately national development of the cyber security sector.

Cyber Runway is an accelerator programme, established to directly address the most critical cyber security challenges that affects the UK, such as ransomware or fraud, with innovative technology and diverse cyber skills. An important dimension of the programme is the focus on diversity. The goal of the programme is for 30% of the companies supported to be female-led cyber businesses or 15% of founders to have Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

The programme is backed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and aims to support 160 cyber security companies and entrepreneurs, with 50% of these located outside of London. The regional development of the cyber security sector is another important dimension of Cyber Runway, which is why regional clusters’ involvement in this programme is auspicious.

The expertise of the cyber clusters in coordinating the innovation growth in their respective regions is also visible in other programmes, such as the CyberFirst Schools, supported by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), where the clusters are helping to identify the regional and national skills development actors, mapping activities for supporting the cyber innovation growth.

About the the four UKC3 recognised clusters’ contribution to Cyber Runway, Melanie Oldham OBE (Vice Chair of UKC3) said:

“Cyber innovation growth is essential for growing the cyber security sector across the UK, and our role is to identify the growth actors that can support the talent development and innovation in this industry. The UKC3 recognised clusters that are supporting this programme are able to coordinate with other clusters, as well with non-cluster partners that can provide hands-on training to cyber enterprises that will benefit of this programme, preparing them to tackle and better respond to pressing challenges like ransomware, data, or intellectual property theft, and more.”

• The UK Government has launched its new UK Cyber Strategy.
• The partnership approach that UKC3 supports through regional cyber cluster collaboration was recognised as a major theme, involving a “Whole of Society” approach.
• Cyber clusters play an important role in driving cyber skills growth, essential for enabling innovation in the cyber sector.

Wednesday, 15 December, UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration (UKC3) joined the UK Government at the launch of the National Cyber Strategy 2022, delivering a panel discussion on “The role of Clusters in building a thriving UK Cyber Ecosystem” with insights provided by cluster leads from Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and England 

As part of the goal of strengthening the UK’s cyber ecosystem, the strategy acknowledged UKC3’s role in driving integrated regional cyber networks across the UK and enabling stronger partnerships between government, businesses and academia, for the purpose of supporting sectoral growth. The strategy also stipulated that the government will work with the regional cyber clusters and the newly established UKC3, as well as with the growing number of regional cyber innovation centres and Cyber Resilience Centres to strengthen links between local businesses, academic centers of excellence and law enforcement.

An important direction of the National Cyber Strategy 2022 was adopting a “Whole of Society” approach to addressing cyber challenges, indicating that cyberspace is now integral to the future security and prosperity of the nation.

Aligned with the UKC3’s objectives for developing the cyber security ecosystem through cyber skills growth and innovation, the strategy recognises the breadth and depth of cyber talent and research capability within the regions of the UK and the important role that cyber clusters will play in tapping into this to drive innovation.

Referring to the role of the UKC3 in developing the National Cyber Strategy 2022, Richard Yorke, Chair of UKC3 said:

“The importance of collaboration and partnership working is a theme that runs throughout the strategy, underpinning the “Whole of Society” approach. If we get this right, it will bring greater diversity of talent and the new ideas and perspectives that are crucial to innovation and growth in the sector.”

Streamed virtually from Birmingham, the launch of the National Cyber Strategy 2022 builds on its successor, the 2016-21 National Cyber Security Strategy, which focused on tackling and managing cyber threats, to provide a more holistic approach with greater importance given to developing cyber skills, driving innovation and growing the UK’s commercial cyber sector. All of this echoes the UKC3’s focus and that of the clusters themselves.

The strategy highlights opportunities to build a thriving cyber sector, through collaboration across the regions and nations of the UK, an approach which sits at the heart of the UKC3 and the cyber cluster network. The role of UKC3 in enabling regional cyber clusters to drive collaboration, innovation and skills growth is acknowledged as an important success factor in strengthening the UK as a responsible, global cyber power.

To find out more about UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration (UKC3), please visit here, or follow UKC3 on LinkedIn or Twitter.

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• Grant will boost regional growth and employment in cyber security sector
• Move will help UK cyber firms develop skills, collaborate and expand businesses

Cyber businesses across the country are set to benefit from a £700k fund to help develop people’s skills, collaborate and break down local barriers to growth.
The funding – from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) – has been awarded to UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration (UKC3), a network of 20 regional clusters of cyber businesses, employers and local organisations which work together to boost the UK’s cyber security sector.

The organisation was established to help cyber security businesses build partnerships and programmes which break down barriers to growth, such as skills gaps and a lack of business support, and provide a focal point for industry stakeholders to engage with.

The fund will be used by the UKC3 to provide opportunities for networking, knowledge sharing and funding to help develop skills and spur innovation.
Minister for Digital Infrastructure Matt Warman announced the new funding today at industry event InfoSec. He said:

Our cyber security sector is already worth £8.9 billion and we’re working tirelessly to take its magnificent growth to the next level.

Our new UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration will help tackle the barriers to growth, boost people’s digital skills and give firms a new route to develop their business acumen.

UKC3 Chair Richard Yorke said:

The UK’s thriving cyber sector is recognised as world leading and through greater collaboration, innovation and skills development we have a real opportunity to deliver growth that benefits businesses and individual citizens across the UK.

This is an exciting and pivotal time for the cyber industry and we encourage organisations to engage with us to drive growth in the sector.

The funding is part of the government’s wider work to develop the UK’s strength in cyber as we build back better after the pandemic and improve prosperity and security. Work is well underway to develop a new national cyber strategy, which the government intends to publish later this year.

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