Cyber Focus

The £5M CyberFocus project has been designed to galvanise the North West cyber ecosystem by forging connections that instil confidence in research-led impact partnerships to propel national prosperity

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Welcome to Cyber Focus

It is a critical time for the cyber landscape of the North West, with the arrival of GCHQ in Manchester and National Cyber Force (NCF) in Lancashire creating an unprecedented opportunity to maximise the socio-economic potential of a high growth, innovative sector central to the UKs response to increasing geopolitical uncertainty.

The CyberFocus project is needed to enable the transformational socio-economic potential of the NW cyber ecosystem and ensure the outcomes of regional strategic government levelling-up investments in cyber are realised. Through collaboration between HEIs, civic and industry partners a shared vision for research-led, NW cyber impact has been agreed:

To galvanise the Northwest cyber ecosystem by forging trusted interconnections that instil confidence in research-led impact partnerships to propel national prosperity and protection.

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Our Partnership Approach

Cyber Focus is a consortium of seven regional higher education institutions (HEIs), three of which are NCSC-recognised Academic Centres of Excellence in Cyber Security Research, with each contributing a distinct portfolio of research expertise and knowledge, and trusted and engaged civic and industrial partners Together, we will collaboratively target the creation of a measurable impact culture in cyber innovation that addresses critical regional challenges, drives job creation, economic growth, and improved cyber resilience across NW England.

How to get involved

To address the challenges of delivering our regional cyber aspirations, there are a number of ways you can get involved in Cyber Focus to help us realise our ambitions:

Address Innovation Challenges and Identify Barriers

We will deliver a series of Impact Catalysts to identify key challenges and barriers in cyber innovation and produce a Challenge Book to document regional innovation needs and opportunities.

Facilitate and Enable Trusted Impact Partnerships

We will deliver Impact Accelerator and Open Funding Calls to support 100 projects and embed sustainable partnerships that address cyber challenges for long-term success.

Enhance Regional Cyber Capacity and Capability

We’ll deliver collaboration sandpits to expand expertise and foster partnerships across the UK, leading to expertise collaborations and secondments to enhance regional capabilities.

Develop Regional Innovation Skills and Knowledge

We’ll create educational packages, including an online Innovation Maturity Self-assessment tool and Impact Training courses, targeting 300 participants overall.

Foster Public Engagement and Policy Impact

We’ll implement a programme of engagement, including Cyber Roadshows, Awareness Campaigns, and co-working initiatives. This will be underpinned by public engagement and policy impact funding calls.

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Our Funders

Cyber Focus is supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

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