A new Technology Access Programme will provide UK technology businesses with training and opportunities to block cyber vulnerabilities.
The programme will use the Digital Security by Design (DSbD) technologies prototyped in the Arm Morello board.
Digital Catapult was awarded £2 million funding to provide the UK technology community a series of events, workshops, and cohorts of businesses hands-on experience of the new technologies.
The programme will allow businesses to access the wider community of technology stakeholders increasing their understanding of DSbD technologies and how these can benefit their business and their customers.
Vulnerable computers
Computers have been vulnerable for several decades with more software typically introducing additional vulnerabilities while not addressing the underlying problem.
The £70 million DSbD programme was set up to support industry to solve this underlying problem and create a transformative shift in cyber security.
In addition to announcing the Technology Access Programme, the DSbD challenge recently launched the Software Ecosystem Development competition.
Software ecosystem
The DSbD software ecosystem is formed across all industrial and academic communities that have a stake in securing computer systems.
It has a crucial role to play in the success of this step-change technology for it to be adopted and become mainstream in commercial software and open-software communities.
The competition aims to expand the DSbD software ecosystem by funding projects across industry and academia.
The projects will support engineers and developers with:
- the required components to transition into the step-change technology
- the new way of implementing security by design in future products and services.
The competition is now open to applications. See the full opportunity details on the Innovation Funding Service.
Register to stay up to date on the Technology Access Programme.
Building back safer
Minister of State at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Julia Lopez said:
The need for cutting-edge secure technology has never been greater and this significant development will help keep people and businesses secure online so we can build back safer from the pandemic.
This government is working tirelessly to help our world-leading cyber sector defend our digital economy and help tackle the ever-evolving cyber security challenge.
Fundamental change in technology
John Goodacre, Challenge Director for DSbD said:
There is a continuous escalation in cyber-crime and the cyber-security response.
DSbD aims to stimulate a fundamental change in technology so that the digital world can be secure by design with data protected by default.
I’m pleased to support the DSbD Technology Access Programme to give businesses the opportunity to understand how their products and services can benefit, blocking vulnerabilities so that their operations and customers can be better protected against the growing costs and harm of a cyber-attack.
Interesting challenges
Jeremy Silver, CEO, Digital Catapult said:
After a year of working to understand the needs of the market and the opportunity of embedded security ‘by design’ in the development of more advanced digital technologies, it’s great to see this project launch into a new phase.
This national programme will enable innovators to lead on solutions that are developed with digital security at front of mind from the start.
There are interesting challenges in getting this approach to security right, and we hope that this program will help address and overcome them.
Further information
DSbD is an initiative supported by the UK government to transform digital technology and create a resilient, and secure foundation for a safer future.
Through collaboration between academia, industry and government, these new capabilities will pave the way for business and people to use and trust technology.
DSbD will enable a more trustworthy digital environment, in which only expected access to data and operations are permitted while limiting the impact of vulnerabilities.
DSbD will promote a mindset change around cyber security, giving the freedom to learn, trade, play, automate and collaborate safely.
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