Cyber Quarter – Midlands Centre for Cyber Security
Hereford Enterprise Zone is home to the UK’s leading centre of excellence in cyber security, supporting innovation and industry in this growing sector.
The completion of the £9m state-of-the art Cyber Quarter – Midlands Centre for Cyber Security cements Skylon Park’s unique status as the only Enterprise Zone in the UK with a dedicated defence & security sector focus.
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).
Councillor David Hitchiner, Marches LEP Board Member & Leader of Herefordshire Council, said: “The centre is a key investment to support the creation of high-income, knowledge-based jobs in the county.
“We are already home to a highly regarded cyber economy, and the knowledge, expertise and opportunities that the centre brings will help to establish Herefordshire as one of the capitals of the cyber security sector.”
The Marches LEP invested £2.82m of Local Growth Funding into the project.
Chair Mandy Thorn said: “The new centre will not only be home to growing businesses engaged in cyber security solutions but will also deliver support and cyber insight to thousands of businesses both in Herefordshire and across the wider Marches region.”
Zone Chairman, Andrew Manning Cox, 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.”
Cyber Quarter – Midlands Centre for Cyber Security will offer a package of tailored security testing, training, research & development and sector expertise to businesses and investors.
Supported by the university’s Wolverhampton Cyber Research Institute (WCRI), the centre will offer product testing and certification, CPD and short courses and cyber conferences like the recent Cyber Fringe Festival attracting experts from across the globe.
The 2,000 square metre building will provide significant resources for research and development across three cyber laboratories, advanced training facilities as part of the University’s Wolverhampton Cyber Research Institute and additional business space for up to 16 cyber companies.
The centre is part of the new Cyber Quarter at Skylon Park, already home to numerous defence and security sector businesses.
The new centre incorporates a full height glass atrium to provide a dual break-out space and function hall, alongside the main three storey building that houses business suites, innovation rooms, IT workshops and a ‘Cyber Range’ – a cutting edge facility that can simulate hacking attacks and prepare and test out responses.