Herefordshire Council Leader David Hitchiner and Herefordshire Enterprise Zone Chairman Andrew Manning Cox were given an update of the Cyber Quarter – Midlands Centre, a £9m state-of-the-art hub for Cyber Security.
The centre is a joint venture between the University of Wolverhampton and Herefordshire Council and part-funded by the Government’s Local Growth Fund, via the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Herefordshire is already home to a highly regarded cyber economy, the knowledge and opportunity that the centre brings will help to establish Herefordshire as one of the leading locations of the cyber security sector.
Andrew Manning Cox, Zone Chairman and LEP Board Member, said: “This is a trail-blazing project which will boost investment on Skylon Park while supporting businesses to protect themselves from hacking and data disruption.
“The expertise and specialist focus of the centre will be part of a wider growing campus of cyber sector companies based within the Cyber Quarter on Skylon Park.
Professor Geoff Layer, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Wolverhampton, said: “The aim of the centre is to tackle the growing threat of cyber attacks which could significantly impact local, regional and national businesses.”
Cyber Quarter – Midlands Centre for Cyber Security will offer a package of tailored security testing, training, R&D and sector expertise to businesses and investors.
Supported by the university’s Wolverhampton Cyber Research Institute (WCRI), the centre will also be home to 16 cyber SMEs as well as offering product testing and certification, CPD and short courses and cyber conferences.