De Montfort University leads on cyber programme to protect businesses

Led by Dr Ismini Vasileiou (associate professor at De Montfort University in Leicester and founder and director of the East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster), the programme offers practical, hands-on support to businesses that actively want to improve how they manage cyber risk, train their members of staff and future-proof their operations.

The project will be delivered in collaboration with 1284 Communications (itself a regional consultancy known for supporting innovation-led growth) and Bulb Studios, a digital design agency that specialises in turning complex ideas into accessible and user-centred solutions.

Funded through the Government’s ‘Cyber Local’ scheme, this programme adopts a hands-on approach towards tackling one of the region’s biggest economic challenges: how to make cyber resilience not just the responsibility of IT Departments, but also a core part of how organisations think, operate and grow. It’s one of just 20 projects to be funded across England that have been selected from upwards of 110 applications.

Changing threats

Dr Vasileiou informed Security Matters: “The programme is designed to meet businesses where they are. It’s aimed particularly at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that don’t have dedicated cyber security expertise in-house or rely on the same trusted person to ‘do the IT’.”

Further, Dr Vasileiou noted: “The reality is that cyber threats have changed. Ransomware, phishing scams and data breaches are constantly looking for weaknesses. Whether you have a full IT team or just someone who’s always ‘looked after the computers’, now’s the time to think differently. It’s about building confidence and capability. Our mission is to make cyber resilience as second nature as is Health and Safety.”

In addition, Dr Vasileiou explained: “As a region powering the UK’s manufacturing, logistics and professional sectors, the East Midlands urgently needs practical and localised cyber support to protect its businesses and sustain economic growth. This project turns national ambition into local action, duly equipping East Midlands businesses with the tools they need to become resilient, confident and digitally secure.”

Measurable outcomes

The programme has been carefully designed to deliver measurable outcomes. Through tailored interventions, the pilot will directly support 30 businesses to embed cyber resilience at every level: from Boardrooms to shop floors.

*15 businesses will take part in a structured programme to build organisational cyber resilience, focusing on governance and strategy

*ten businesses will be supported to develop internal cyber workforce plans, identifying and reskilling existing members of staff into cyber roles

*five businesses will host academic placements from De Montfort University to trial research-led cyber innovations

Alongside this, a sustained outreach campaign will target traditionally underrepresented organisations, ensuring the benefits of the project are widely felt and not just confined to those already engaged in the cyber sector.

The project builds on the momentum of CyberSprint: Fast Track to the Future, part of the 2024-2025 ‘Cyber Local’ scheme. That engaged more than 90 schools and colleges, helped embed cyber security into workforce development and culminated in a Parliamentary round table discussion on the future of the UK’s cyber workforce. It also produced the Cyber Skills Ecosystem Toolkit, which is now being deployed in this new phase.

This programme is focused not on tech companies or digital start-ups, but rather on the everyday businesses that power the region, notably so those who don’t have the luxury of an in-house cyber team. It will culminate in the East Midlands Cyber Growth Summit, a major regional event put together to showcase project successes, forge new partnerships and lay the foundations for an annual industry network showcase.

After the pilot ends, the East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster will take over, scaling up the tested models and commercialising them for long-term use.