UK’s first Cyber Security Institute to be based at UCL

A new academic research institute to improve understanding of the science behind the growing Cyber Security threat was announced today by the government. The Institute, which opens on 1 October, will be hosted at UCL and led by Professor Angela Sasse (UCL Computer Science). The Institute is funded by a £3.8 million grant and is part of a cross-government commitment towards increasing the nation's academic capability in all fields of cyber security. Its research will ultimately make it easier for businesses, individuals and government to take informed decisions about how to implement better cyber protection measures and safely benefit from the huge opportunities offered in cyber space. Established by GCHQ, in partnership with the Research Councils' Global Uncertainties Programme (RCUK), (led by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)), and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS), the Institute is a virtual organisation involving seven universities. It will allow leading academics in the field of cyber security including social scientists, mathematicians and computer scientists from across the UK to work together. It will also connect them with the collective expertise of industry security experts and international researchers in the field to tackle some of the UK's toughest challenges in cyber security, in both the public and private sectors.