A new cyber innovation centre is coming to London to help make the UK a leader in the fight against cybercrime

Clare Hopping Read more April 11, 2018

A new cyber innovation centre is being developed at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, bringing together some of the most technological minds in the country to drive growth in the cyber security sector.

A new cyber innovation centre is coming to London to help make the UK a leader in the fight against cybercrime

Developed by Plexal, the centre will host tech startups, researchers and investors to develop new ways of combatting cyber threats in the UK. The company thinks it’ll also create up to 2,000 jobs in the cyber security industry, helping the UK to become one of the most well-equipped nations to fight against emerging risks.

Any startups taking a place in the cyber innovation centre will work closely with many of the companies already developing innovative solutions to security challenges and it’ll be funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as part of the department’s drive to fight cyber crime in the UK.

“London is the undisputed leader of European tech, with billions of investment flowing in every year and world-leading firms developing groundbreaking innovations,” Margot James, Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries, said. “This new centre in the Olympic Park will build on the site’s legacy of excellence and spark a wave of creativity to develop the cyber security technology of the future and help protect the nation’s industry.”

As well as housing startups and researchers, it will also offer support to at least 72 companies over the next three years from across the UK, while startups not joining the programme will be able to access the centre’s support services and facilities.

“The UK has a strong heritage in tech innovation and a fertile business environment for start-ups to grow. But our future international standing as a world-leading digitally-enabled economy depends on a robust and forward-thinking cyber security sector,” Claire Cockerton, CEO and founder of Plexal, said.

“The centre will help this to develop by delivering bespoke business development programmes, engineering resource, professional services, access to corporate buyers and ambitious investors. Our mission is to bring the whole industry together to accelerate innovation, entrepreneurship and business growth for UK PLC.”