UK cyber businesses have been provided with a substantial investment of £700k by the UK government to enhance the sector significantly.
The sizeable funding, financed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), will be invested into advancing peoples’ skills, collaborate, and break down local barriers to growth. The funding has been pledged to the UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration (UKC3), which is a network of 20 regional groups of UK cyber businesses, employers, and local organisations who will cooperate to progress the UK’s cybersecurity sector.
The role of the UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration
The UKC3 was formed to aid cybersecurity businesses in developing partnerships and programmes that can eradicate barriers for growth, such as plugging the skills gap and providing business support, becoming a pivotal body for industry stakeholders to collaborate with for the development of the sector.
Investing in the future
The £700k fund will be utilised by the UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration to create potential opportunities for networking, knowledge sharing, and funding to assist in developing skills and inspiring innovation in the UK cyber industry.
Matt Warman, the Minister for Digital Infrastructure who announced the funding, said: “Our cybersecurity sector is already worth £8.9 billion, and we’re working tirelessly to take its magnificent growth to the next level.
“Our new UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration will help tackle the barriers to growth, boost people’s digital skills and give firms a new route to develop their business acumen.”
Richard Yorke, the Chair of UKC3, said: “The UK’s thriving cyber sector is recognised as world-leading and through greater collaboration, innovation, and skills development we have a real opportunity to deliver growth that benefits businesses and individual citizens across the UK.
“This is an exciting and pivotal time for the cyber industry, and we encourage organisations to engage with us to drive growth in the sector.”
The government funding is part of a broader strategy across the UK to develop a more advanced cyber infrastructure, ensuring the nation improves security and prosperity post-pandemic. The government is currently working to create a new national cyber strategy, which will be revealed in late 2021.
