Cyber Security Incubator Programme Accepting Applications

An incubator programme, CSIT Labs, designed for startups in the cyber security sector, is available for its second round of applications. The incubator provides these startups with an engineering resource.

The UK’s national Innovation and Knowledge Centre for cyber security, Queen’s University Belfast’s Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT), is playing host to the incubator.

Teams will take part in the managed programme over nine months. They will be provided with a funded resource in engineering development for a possible three months. Their goal is to work with ideas and research and take themselves to a stage where investment is required, and ultimately to market.

The engineering resource is valued at £30,000, which is especially useful when cyber security R&D resources for startups are hard to come by.

The UK National Cyber Security Centre’s Chief Executive Ciaran Martin, said:

“This could be truly world-leading work in cyber-security. It’s a win-win: it should be great for the city and the surrounding area, but it could also play a major role in making the UK the safest place to live and work online.”

The programme is one of many recent examples that illustrate the effort that the government is going to in encouraging cyber security. UK firms are going to need help with cyber security, thanks to an increasing number of threats. In addition to these cyber security startups, it is highly likely that more and more IT security jobs will be created in the UK for the foreseeable future, to combat these threats and ensure business protection is not compromised.