The University of Wolverhampton and Herefordshire Council have agreed a venture to develop a new multi-million Centre for Cyber Security in Hereford.
The University of Wolverhampton has committed £1.5m to the new centre, with an additional £4m grant funding being channelled through the Marches LEP Local Growth Fund and a further £1.16m from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Herefordshire Council has approved £3.5m to the project, which will see the new centre built on Skylon Park in the Hereford Enterprise Zone.
The new centre 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 facilities designed specifically to tackle threats in cyberspace.
Cybercrime currently costs the UK between £18 billion and £27 billion a year. Almost two thirds (65%) of all large UK companies reported a breach in the last year and threats to cyber security are persistent and constantly evolving.
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.”
Andrew Manning Cox, Chairman of the Hereford 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.”
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.”
Building works on the new centre are expected to start in November with completion expected by spring 2020.