Edinburgh Napier University recognised by GCHQ for cyber security education
Edinburgh Napier University is among the first in the UK to be recognised for its commitment to cyber security education
under a new initiative from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) – a part of GCHQ.
It is one of eight institutions that has this week been named an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security
Education (ACE-CSE) for delivering first-rate cyber security education on campus and promoting cyber skills in the
community.
Edinburgh Napier was recognised with the initiative’s Silver award for its ambitious vision in the field.
The University already has NCSC-certified undergraduate and postgraduate programmes - BEng Cybersecurity and
Forensics, and MSc Advanced Security and Digital Forensics – which underlines the value of the qualifications and helps
to attract high quality students from around the world.
Engagement
The newly announced NCSC accolade will now see cyber security integrated into programmes across the wider
university, and greater emphasis on engagement with external stakeholders.
Professor Bill Buchanan, from Edinburgh Napier’s School of Computing, said: “The work of the NCSC is key to the
development of excellence in cyber security education and knowledge exchange. These new ACEs will not only work
within their own university departments, but also spread cyber security collaboration across their institution.”
The ACE-CSE programme, led by the NCSC and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, also recognised Abertay, Lancaster, Southampton, South Wales, Surrey, Warwick, and the West of England universities in this first round of applications.
Research
Chris Ensor, NCSC Deputy Director for Cyber Growth, said: “I am delighted we can now recognise the first tranche of universities as Academic Centres of Excellence in Cyber Security Education, complementing our existing programmes which recognise high quality cyber security research and degree courses.
“It is a testament to the continual efforts of academics, support staff and senior management that cyber security remains high on their agenda.
Digital Infrastructure Minister Matt Warman said: “The UK has some of the brightest minds in the world working in tech and it's right we celebrate universities where so many people develop relevant and cutting-edge skills.
"We continue to work closely with academia to nurture the next generation of cyber security talent and I urge interested education institutions to apply for this recognition.”
Professor Bill Buchanan
