Lancashire’s cyber security best in show

Lancaster University was pleased to host the Lancashire Cyber Foundry Showcase at The Midland Hotel last week. The event celebrates three years of the Foundry project which was established to support the cyber security needs of local businesses.

The University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Andy Schofield welcomed over 90 delegates, including LCF clients, Key stakeholders and partners together with Lancaster University academics and professional staff.

“The Lancashire Cyber Foundry is an exemplar programme of support that Lancaster University was proud to deliver,” said Professor Schofield. “The businesses benefited from the cyber security knowledge to enable innovation and growth. This has led to a long-lasting legacy of skills and tools that leaders will be able to take into their future endeavours.”

Guests heard from the BBC’s security correspondent Gordon Corera who shared insights on the latest trends in cyber conflict and how they impact our daily lives, as well as Ben Owen, star of television’s Hunted and former intelligence officer, who gave his unique perspective on the psychology of cyber.

Ben Owen commented: “It was a pleasure to be invited as the keynote speaker for Lancashire Cyber Foundry’s showcase event. The programme has inspired Lancashire businesses to make a conscious effort to put cyber at the heart of their businesses as well as helping aid and direct ideas for new products and services.”

“I know the Lancashire Cyber Foundry team are rightly proud of what they have delivered, and their impact was clearly evident during the showcase event.”

The Lancashire Cyber Foundry is a £2.1million project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund which launched in 2020, led by Lancaster University.

In the past three years more than 100 SME’s have benefited from the support programme which includes workshops, studentship projects, innovation audit reports and online resources, as well as bespoke technical assistance.

Partnerships with Lancashire Constabulary and North West Regional Organised Crime Unit allowed the project to link into the wider cyber ecosystem within the region, which is home to National Cyber Force at Samlesbury and GCHQ Heron House.

Dr Rebecca Robinson, Lancaster University project manager for the Foundry said: “It was a pleasure to welcome all those who joined us to celebrate and showcase the Lancashire Cyber Foundry’s achievements. The event was a recognition of three years hard work to support our thriving business community. We delivered online sessions and bespoke product development during the pandemic helping to support companies pivot during this difficult time.”

“More recently we have helped organisations embed cyber into their strategies to support safe and secure business growth. Despite the fact the project is ending, I believe that cyber support at Lancaster University will continue to thrive so watch this space!”

As part of the showcase, awards were made to recognise best practice and innovation:

• Skills and Talent Award – Sourcepulp Limited
• Innovation Award – Intifex
• Cyber Resilience Award – Equal Employer
• Business Growth Award – Serconnect

Lancashire Cyber Foundry’s legacy is a more cyber resilient regional economy, which includes twenty new roles created by local SMEs following support from the project. Thirty student projects have taken place, not only allowing Lancaster University students to benefit from the innovations in cyber security, but also allowing regional businesses to gain insights from the University’s cyber research and teaching, nationally recognised as a Centre of Excellence.

Lancaster is one of only a handful of universities in the UK whose education, research and training is recognised by the National Cyber Security Centre. The university is further building on its strong track-record in cyber security with a recently announced once-in-a-generation £19m investment into Security and Protection Science – an initiative that will also see Lancaster recruit 33 new cross-disciplinary academics, plus 15 professor in practice roles as well as 10 support staff.