Building on the success of the cyber security Innovation Centre pilot in 2024, Innovation Centre #2 has now completed thanks to funding secured from the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) in the latest round of CyberLocal funding.
The innovative accelerator programme, Innovation Centre #2, has been designed and delivered by the team at CyberNorth to help individuals and early stage or pre-start-up businesses develop viable cyber security products and services through interactive workshops and professional coaching.
Phil Jackman, Director, CyberNorth said:
“We are delighted to see the successful completion of Innovation Centre #2, a programme which builds on the success of the first Innovation Centre pilot last year, in a bid to further unleash the potential in the North East.
The programme has been designed for early-stage or pre-start-up businesses, and the tailored offer provides vital support with a focus on supporting participants to refine concepts, scale operations, and bring innovative ideas to market.”
The incubator-style workshops ran throughout February and March and covered topics such as product development, customer research, company formation, funding management, HR planning, and networking with cyber security buyers to support business idea validation and growth.
The interactive workshops were delivered by highly regarded professionals in the business support industry, and each included an opportunity to hear from and engage with cyber security business owners, with executive coaching also be available for all cohort members.
Phil added:
“As a key player in the UK’s cyber security landscape, the North East holds untapped potential, and the region needs more innovation in cyber security and more start-ups in this sector, Innovation Centre #2 has a key role to play in fostering ideas, innovation and implementation.
The key output from the programme was for the cohort to come out of the course with a good grounding in what is needed to set up and run a business in the cyber security field, and the opportunity to liaise and seek guidance from established leaders in the cyber security field was a real game-changer for the programme.”
Keerthi Rajendran, Newcastle University said:
“I thought all the sessions were educational and have given me the edge in terms of preparedness. It makes an incredible difference for people starting out on an entrepreneurship journey from alternative sectors, especially from non-private sector backgrounds – speaking from personal experience!”
The Innovation Centre concept has uniquely created an environment which encourages growth and supports new and emerging businesses towards maturity and the team will closely follow the journeys of the cohort. The initial pilot during 2024 involved 10 pre-start-up and early-stage businesses, and of these to date four businesses are now revenue generating, two applicants have gone on to cyber security roles in existing organisations and one student is using the experience as the idea for their thesis.
As the cyber security cluster for North East CyberNorth is dedicated to fostering the growth and advancement of the regional cyber security sector. Our primary objective is to facilitate community unity, foster collaborative initiatives, and contribute to positioning the region as a distinguished hub for excellence in the cyber security industry.