The Digital Security by Design challenge will be delivered by UK Research and Innovation through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. The announcement was made today to coincide with Data Privacy Day.
Firms wishing to get their hands on a slice of the investment will need to compete for it and put their business cases to Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund for approval.
Business Secretary Greg Clark said: “This could be a real step-change in computer and online security, better protecting businesses, services and consumers from cyber-attacks resulting in benefits for consumers and the economy.
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“With businesses having to invest more and more in tackling ever more complex cyber attacks, ‘designing in’ security measures into the hardware’s fabric will not only protect our businesses and consumers but ultimately cut the growing cybersecurity costs to businesses.”
Digital Minister Margot James added: “We want the UK to be a safer place to live and work online. We’re moving the burden away from consumers to manufacturers, so strong cyber security is built into the design of products. This funding will help us work with industry to do just that, improving the strength and resilience of hardware to better protect consumers from cyber-attacks.”
An additional £30.6 million investment, which aims to ensure that IoT devices are safe and secure, particularly as more critical applications emerge meaning there is increased vulnerability to broader, more sophisticated cyber-threats, was also announced.
“We hope this additional investment will drive fundamental changes to products we use every day,” said Dr Ian Levy, National Cyber Security Centre’s Technical Director. “This is vital work, because improving hardware can eradicate a wide range of vulnerabilities that cause significant harm.”
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