UEL wins grant to develop safety platform

The University of East London’s (UEL) Department of Computer Science and Digital Technologies has won a £224,662 Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) grant to develop a digital safety training platform.

This virtual platform, which will be similar to a gaming platform, will allow computer experts or security professionals to create scenarios, acting out cyber attacks and practicing defence strategies. The simulation environment will allow team members to pretend to be hackers trying to break into computer systems, while others work to protect those systems. These simulations will help train and prepare cybersecurity experts by giving them a realistic experience of how cyber attacks happen and how to defend against them, without causing any actual harm to real computer systems.

The project will be carried out in partnership with Digital Safety Community Interest Company (DS-CIC), a social enterprise which offers advice and support to companies and individuals to prevent digital harms. Dr Ameer Al-Nemrat, Reader in Cyber Security, is the KTP supervisor and will be collaborating with DS-CIC over two years to train a graduate associate in digital technology to develop this platform.

Dr Al-Nemrat said UEL is pioneering research and innovation within the realm of cybersecurity.

He said 

“We actively contribute to forging new technologies, methodologies, and practices in this field. Our state-of-the-art laboratories are furnished with cutting-edge technology and offer students invaluable hands-on experience in a closely monitored setting.”

Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) grants are competitive awards provided by the government agency Innovate UK to encourage collaboration between universities and businesses or charities to deliver a specific, strategic innovation project.

Professor Mansour Moniri, Director of Research & Knowledge Exchange at UEL, said, “This Knowledge Transfer Partnership project provides a unique opportunity to highlight the ingenuity and capabilities of our academic staff through designing an innovative cybersecurity platform.”

DS-CIC was looking to obtain expertise for a digital safety training platform and UEL has academic experts who can design and create adversarial simulation approaches that accurately simulate real world attacks for optimal learning experiences.

Barbara Spooner MBE, CEO of DS-CIC said, said ‘’We are thrilled to be working with the University of East London to establish a state-of-the-art cyber range platform where we can test, train, and educate on cyberattacks and digital safety in a secure environment. We will ensure all our stakeholders are engaged and informed throughout the journey.’’

The cyber range platform will also offer insights into learner and sector-based trends, enabling DS-CIC to develop tailored training services that meet the changing jobseeker and employer needs.

DS-CIC is a social enterprise offering advice and support to companies and individuals to prevent digital harms. Their services encompass capability building, consultancy and research and development, catering to clients from both the private and public sectors, including law enforcement and government agencies in the UK and abroad.