UCL awarded Academic Centre of Excellence status in Cyber Security Research

The Academic Centre of Excellence status has been awarded by GCHQ in partnership with the Research Councils' Global Uncertainties Programme (RCUK) and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS). Other universities will also become Centres in the near future as part of an ongoing process.

The Centres of Excellence will benefit the UK by:

• Enhancing the UK's cyber knowledge base through original research
• Providing top quality graduates in the field of cyber security
• Supporting GCHQ's cyber defence mission
• Driving up the level of innovation

The Centres of Excellence will help make the UK government, business and consumers more resilient to cyber attack by extending knowledge and enhancing skills in cyber security.

These Centres will be the first to attain Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research status and will benefit from:

• Closer collaboration with GCHQ, the UK Cyber Community and industry
• Partnership endorsement in associated publications and prospectuses
• Better understanding of Government and industrial cyber issues
• Helping to formulate the future Cyber Security research agenda
• Extra funding opportunities and £50,000 capital investment

Professor Angela Sasse, Head of Information Security Research at UCL, "We are delighted that the EPSRC and GCHQ recognise that UCL makes a substantial contribution to protecting the UK in a digital world."

We have been awarded the Academic Centre of Excellence status because we have a substantial number of globally leading researchers working on Cyber Security. Our Computer Science department played a leading role in the development of the internet, and we will continue to develop solutions to keep it secure. The Centre will be a focal point for the wide range of academic knowledge and skills in UCL that will help us to achieve this."

Minister for Cyber Security Francis Maude said: "We want to make the UK one of the most secure places in the world to do business, by investing in the best expertise to keep pace with technological change."

That is why promoting academic excellence is at the heart of the Government's Cyber Security Strategy. These first eight Centres will play a vital role in boosting research, expanding our cyber skills base and fostering innovation in the field."

Universities and Science Minister David Willetts said: "Britain has one of the largest online economies in the world and a growing cyber security sector. Supporting universities to carry out more research and training skilled graduates to work in the cyber-security industry will help build further confidence in doing business online.

Dr Jens Groth (UCL Computer Science) said: "Securing Cyberspace is a very challenging multi-disciplinary problem; the internet is global, the attackers anonymous, and the world is digital and online. The ACE-CSR brings together UCL's breadth of expertise ranging from cryptology, software testing and network security to economic, political and human aspects of security."

Image: Matrix Code by My Melting Brain on flickr

Links:

UCL Computer Science
GCHQ