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Government backs Newcastle University as cyber security leader

Newcastle University has bolstered its position as a leading centre for cyber security research after being named a Centre of Excellence by Government.

Led by the University’s School of Computing Science, today’s announcement is a renewal of Newcastle’s Centre of Excellence status, making it a key player in the Government’s National Cyber Security Strategy which was announced last year.

Announcing the fourteen UK Centres of Excellence for Cyber Security Research, Ben Gummer, Minister for the Cabinet Office & Paymaster General, said the research would help us “to stay one step ahead of the growing threat of cyber attacks.”

“This Government is determined to make the UK the safest place in the world to live, work and do business online,” he said.

“That is why we need truly ground-breaking research to stay one step ahead of the growing threat of cyber attacks.

“By engaging with business, industry and academia, we will ensure that we develop the skills and research we need to tackle this growing threat to the UK.”

Ranked 76th in the world by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2016-2017, Newcastle University is among the best for Computing Sciences.

In August, the School will relocate to the state-of-the-art £59m Urban Sciences building on Science Central which includes purpose-built labs to house the Centre of Excellence for Cybercrime and Computer Security.

Professor Thomas Gross, Newcastle University’s Director of the Centre for Cybercrime and Computer Security, said: “At Newcastle, our focus is primarily on how humans interact with security systems.

“Such as how we choose our passwords, how we protect ourselves online, ways of making digital infrastructure more secure and developing new systems such as electronic voting.

“Our recognition as a centre of excellence is a reflection of the excellent research staff and students we have here at Newcastle.”

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