Lancaster University has officially opened one of the largest educational facilities in the country to help train the next generation of computer science and cyber security students.

The facilities, opened by Chris Ensor, Deputy Director, National Cyber Security Centre, were given a £4m grant from the Office for Students (OfS). They will support teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, an executive MBA and professional training and reskilling.

The new developments demonstrate the University's ambitions to support the growth in demand for experts in computer science, data science, software engineering and cyber security. They include:

• Eight specialist teaching laboratories – Co-created by students and equipped with the latest technology, the labs support large-scale data visualisation, software engineering, computer-intensive tasks, and cyber security programming. The labs are a highly customisable environment designed to meet the needs of different students, modes of study and enhance the overall student experience.
• Data Immersion Suite – The suite and accompanying control room are dedicated teaching and research facilities with state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment including a 22-metre partial wrap-around video wall comprising of 48x55’’ high resolution screens. The facility enables students, academics, policy makers and engineers to explore complex problems using on-screen data visualisations with real-time updates from cyber and physical systems. It allows users to generate scenarios which unfold over hours or days to create a life-like experience.

The Data Immersion Suite offers businesses and industry the opportunity to engage with experts from Lancaster University to understand how they can use the facility to explore data-driven solutions tailored to their business. The suite enables organisations to collaborate with Lancaster researchers, carry out training sessions, and conduct practical workshops.

Data Immersion Suite

The opening coincides with the arrival of the National Cyber Force (NCF) in Samlesbury, Lancashire, which presents a unique opportunity for the region to establish itself as a leader in cyber security. With an anticipated need for approximately 30,000 highly skilled professionals in core cyber roles and a projected quadrupling of the sector’s economic output to £2.8 billion, Lancaster University is strategically poised to help bridge the cyber skills gap and drive innovation with industry.

The new facilities are central to Lancaster University’s Data Cyber Quarter and support the launch of Security and Protection Science at Lancaster, a £19m initiative to boost the University’s teaching and research capabilities around cyber security.

For more information about the facilities, please contact dcenquiries@lancaster.ac.uk