A NEW centre to fight cyber crime based in Hereford is one step closer to completion after the project secured £9 million of funding.

The Centre for Cyber Security is a joint venture between Herefordshire Council and the University of Wolverhampton and will be located at Skylon Park in the Hereford Enterprise Zone.

Herefordshire Council has approved funding of £3.5 million to the project and the University of Wolverhampton has approved £1.5 million to contribute to the Centre.

Grant funding of £4 million has been secured from the Marches LEP Local Growth Fund and £1.16 million from the European Regional Development Fund.

The Centre will provide research facilities through the University’s Cyber Security Research Institute and will also offer office space for cyber businesses and training facilities designed specifically to tackle threats in cyberspace.

Councillor David Harlow, Herefordshire Council Cabinet Member for Economy and Communications, said: “The cyber security sector is an important and fast growing part of the UK economy, and Herefordshire is proud to be home to the new Centre for Cyber Security and a growing cluster of cyber security businesses.

“The new centre will provide a unique range of facilities including business space for SMEs research, product testing laboratory space and educational and training space, and will act as a draw for national investment in the local economy.”

Professor Ian Oakes, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Wolverhampton, said: “The University has already formed strong, collaborative relationships with key companies to engage with cyber research, training programmes and enterprise development and has a number of research teams associated with the development of cyber security.

“Our strategy is to bring together our collective expertise in a centre of excellence with partners both in the UK and internationally."

He added: “The new Centre will organise, facilitate and support the development of cyber security on a global scale whilst at the same time present us with opportunities to develop high quality academic, vocational educational and training programmes to address the digital skills shortage being experienced nationally.”

Andrew Manning Cox, Chairman of the Hereford Enterprise Zone, said: “This decision will help deliver a new Centre for Cyber Security at Skylon Park, following two years of work by the University and Hereford Enterprise Zone team to make the project a reality.

"The new centre will firmly establish Skylon Park as a natural home for cyber security research and innovation, putting us at the cutting edge of this pioneering field. We already have a cluster of businesses working within the growing cyber security sector and the centre will be vital to building on this expertise in the coming years.”

Graham Wynn OBE, Chairman of Marches LEP, said: “Defence and security businesses employ approximately 2,600 people across the Marches ranging from manufacturers of military vehicles, weapons, explosives, systems and technologies through to private security, security systems and investigation.

“Skylon Park is the only Enterprise Zone in the country to focus on the defence and security sector and our aim, through working in collaboration with the University of Wolverhampton, will be to build on the base of 70 plus small businesses operating locally in this market.

“The new Centre will stimulate an enhanced base of businesses engaged in cyber security solutions which will improve insight for businesses on the challenges faced in the future and drive up levels of innovation activity across the Marches.”

Cybercrime currently costs the UK between £18 billion and £27 billion a year and 65% of all large UK companies reported a breach in the last year.

Building works are expected to begin in November 2018 and the Centre is expected to be completed by Spring 2020.