Lancaster’s InfoLab
SECURING FUTURE CYBER SPECIALISTS
A new development at Lancaster University will see the creation of cutting-edge education and training facilities for the next generation of cyber security specialists.
The development – supported by a £4m grant from the Office for Students (OfS) – will be designed to specifically focus on subjects of strategic importance that underpin cyber security.
It will also play its part in Lancashire’s drive to be the cyber centre of the UK. The government’s new National Cyber Force (NCF) will be located in Samlesbury, adding billions to the regional economy and creating thousands of new jobs.
The university facilities will be central to Lancaster’s flagship ‘Data Cyber Quarter’ and consist of eight specialist laboratories and a semi-immersive decision theatre. The university’s landmark InfoLab building will be upgraded as part of the project.
The university says the investment will create one of the largest educational facilities of its type in the country and support education offerings in underpinning technologies.
Lancaster University’s vice chancellor Professor Andy Schofield said: “This addition to the Data Cyber Quarter will provide us with the cutting-edge training facilities needed to continue our journey as one of the leading UK institutions for cyber security teaching and research as well as providing opportunities to develop exciting new partnerships with external organisations co- locating on site.
“This will help us deliver the talent pipeline needed to support the unprecedented growth in regional and national demand for experts in this field.”
The plans support the launch of ‘Security and Protection Science’ at Lancaster, a £19m initiative to boost the university’s teaching and research capabilities around cyber security.
It includes the recruitment of more than 30 new academics across a variety of disciplines to focus on digital threats and support major national cyber security initiatives in the North West.
This addition
to the Data Cyber Quarter will provide us with cutting-edge training facilities
Zain Javid, who chairs the Lancashire Cyber Alliance, said: “With the opportunities coming online as various national security agencies begin basing themselves in the North West, the need for a healthy skills pipeline of future cyber security professionals is growing daily.”
Design work on the new facilities is underway with all work set to be completed by November this year.
Meanwhile, Burnley College’s university campus is to be extended with an additional three storeys after its £6.6m plans gained approval.
The extended building will offer 1,900 sq m of floor space dedicated to teaching, cutting-edge science laboratories, a dedicated employability hub, robotics and automation classrooms, a cyber security suite and a new state-of-the-art lecture theatre.
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