In January, CyberNorth announced the launch of two pilot Innovation Centres in Newcastle and Durham, thanks to funding from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
CyberNorth, serving as the cyber security cluster for North East England, is dedicated to fostering the growth and advancement of the regional cyber security sector. Their primary objective is to facilitate community unity, foster collaborative initiatives, and contribute to positioning the region as a distinguished hub for excellence in the cyber security industry.
They do this by focusing on 4 areas:
- Raising awareness of cyber security regionally, nationally and internationally
- Helping new and existing local businesses grow
- Addressing gaps in skills and experiences
- Creating a strongly connected and collaborative cyber security community
This funding will empower CyberNorth working key partners to pilot the initiative, providing a proof of concept for further rollout across the region. The Innovation Centres aim to be a crucial platform for pioneering early-stage businesses in the cyber security field, fostering innovation and growth.
“We are delighted to have secured funding from DSIT. This is a ground-breaking moment for cyber security in our region. As a catalyst of support in the North East, the aim of CyberNorth is to bring the cyber security sector together, whilst championing the region nationally. The roll-out of the ‘physical’ Innovation Centres is a big step in seeing our plans and collaborations with partners across the North East build further momentum.
The ministerial visit to the region last year was key and enabled the minister to see first-hand the challenges being faced, as well as the potential to grow the cyber security and digital sector to unlock new jobs and investment across the region. We are very excited to put the wheels in motion for this new venture.”
Phil Jackman, Director, CyberNorth
As a key player in the UK’s cyber security landscape, the North East holds untapped potential. The DSIT funding presents an exciting opportunity to create ‘pop-up’ innovation centres, bringing innovators and business support together. Atom Bank, based in Aykley Heads, County Durham, and Floe in Newcastle, will support businesses under the programme, fostering and accelerating the startup process for cyber security businesses.
Collaborating with successful FinTech Atom Bank and co-working space provider, Floe, the centres will offer a six-month support package to accelerate the growth of businesses. This development follows the success of CyberFest 2023, a month-long cyber security festival, where CyberNorth plays a pivotal role in fuelling the growth of the region’s cyber security sector.
CyberNorth, part of UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration, has been dedicated to bolstering the region’s cybersecurity ecosystem. With around 900 members, it collaborates with other sector clusters, working towards creating small innovation hotspots to bring innovators and business support together.
John Davies MBE, Vice Chair and Director of UKC3 goes on to say “Innovation is a critical success factor of cyber-defence and this concept of ‘pop-up’ centres, being piloted by CyberNorth in the North East of England, is a truly innovative approach to the challenge of encouraging innovation in our clusters. I, for one, am cheering them on from the sidelines and will help in any way I can because I’m genuinely interested in how these centres perform.”
Join us in celebrating this fantastic step forward for the North East’s cyber sector!
To learn more about the program, you can view Phil Jackman’s, Director at CyberNorth, briefing here or contact them directly via hello@cybernorth.biz
In addition, a link to the Application Form can be found here: Application form
