Calling all Cyber Security companies - funding available for Cyber Security KTPs

£500,000 has been invested by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Innovate UK, to support small to medium sized companies (SMEs) gain access to university expertise in cybersecurity through Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs). Innovation vouchers worth up to £5K are also available for SME's for them to access specialist cybersecurity advice.

10 August 2015

Knowledge Transfer Partnership’s (KTP) are government-funded programmes that enable businesses and universities to work together. A partnership involves a business, a university and a highly talented graduate, and lasts from six months to three years. The graduate carries out a strategic project in the business, with guidance from an university academic expert. Up to 67 percent of the project costs are government-funded.

As the UK economy grows and becomes increasingly digital, the benefits are clear - new technologies bring growth, strength and prosperity to an economy, but they also expose the threat of cyber security breaches, which can be costly and damaging to businesses. Information Security Breaches Survey recently reported that 74 percent of small businesses and 90 percent of large business have experienced a cyber-breach in the past year.

This investment will enable SMEs in the cyber security sector access research-driven knowledge and capability from universities, help them access strategic opportunities, tackle significant challenges and support the development of new innovative processes and solutions.

Electronic circuit

Funding for a KTP programme will:

  • Enable businesses to quickly access the cyber security expertise needed to solve critical challenges and grow.
  • Allow businesses to access new strategic developments that  supports their economic growth.
  • Showcase the value and capability of the academic UK cyber security sector
  • Boost the growth of the cyber security sector through the development of new strategic businesses and/or products.

Additionally, the new UK £1m cyber security innovation vouchers scheme will offer micro, small and medium sized businesses up to £5,000 for specialist advice to boost their cyber security and protect new business ideas and intellectual property.

This scheme will be overseen by the Government’s innovation experts at Innovate UK.

Professor Haris Mouratidis is Professor of Software Systems Engineering with expertise in software systems development, privacy and security of data and is also Director of the Secure and Dependable Software Systems (SenSe) research cluster at the University of Brighton. The aim of the SenSe research cluster is to develop novel and pragmatic ways to assure the dependability of software systems with particular emphasis on security, trust and risk. Professor Mouratidis has previous experience of KTP when he oversaw a project with the University of East London (UEL) which delivered a customised, secure and automated IT infrastructure for pre-employment screening company Powerchex.

To find out more, please contact Shona Campbell, KTP Manager at the University of Brighton KTP Centre at s.e.campbell@brighton.ac.uk or at 01273 642424.