Government security and intelligence body GCHQ has recognised the University as a centre of excellence for cyber security research.
Following an announcement by Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude, Kent joins universities such as Cambridge and Oxford in gaining this recognition.
Kent’s Centre for Cyber Security Research was established in 2012. It has as its technical core the Security group within the School of Computing and the Intelligent Interactions group within the School of Engineering and Digital Arts. The Centre also has research collaborations with staff from the schools of: Psychology; Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research; Physical Sciences; Anthropology and Conservation; and Kent Law School.
The Academic Centre of Excellence for Cyber Security Research (ACEs-CSR) scheme, which is jointly sponsored by GCHQ and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), aims to provide researchers at universities with better understanding of the range of cyber security problems faced by government and business. Recognition as an ACE includes the award of a grant from EPSRC of around £10k per year to support ACE-related activities.
The centre of excellence recognition will run from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2017. For more on the Centre see: http://www.cybersec.kent.ac.uk/