Queen’s University Belfast is being honoured by Her Majesty the Queen for its work in strengthening global cyber security and protecting the online activity of billions of internet users around the world.
The Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT) at Queen’s – a major hub for research and innovation in cyber security – is being awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education. The award comes two days after the Chancellor, George Osborne, announced plans to double funding to fight cybercrime in the effort to protect the UK from online attacks.
The Queen’s Anniversary Prizes are part of the national honours system and recognise and honour outstanding achievement by universities and colleges in the United Kingdom.
Based at the Northern Ireland Science Park, in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter, CSIT, with 90 people, is one of the UK’s largest university cyber security research centres. It has developed breakthrough innovations, including novel technology which will be integrated into Apps to improve security for online financial transactions; anti-counterfeit technology to prevent internet fraud; and new processors to deliver filtered internet to homes and businesses, stripping out viruses, malware and malicious content.
Welcoming the announcement, Queen’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Patrick Johnston said: “Cyber security is now a major global challenge, with cyber crime increasing at an alarming rate. Earlier this week, the UK Government warned of the threat of cyber attacks on vital online infrastructure, such as that which supports hospitals, banks and air traffic control systems. The need for strong and resilient cyber security technologies has never been greater. CSIT is home to some of the world’s foremost cyber security experts. It is, and will continue to be, at the forefront of efforts to protect the UK from cyber attacks and to maintain the public’s trust that their online privacy and data is kept safe.
“Since its inception five years ago, CSIT has pioneered research, development and collaboration to protect people and business and drive economic development. The Centre has had a positive impact on the security of billions of internet users around the globe and we are delighted that has been recognised by the Queen’s Anniversary Prize. I congratulate all those involved.”
Professor John McCanny, Principal Investigator at CSIT, said: “CSIT’s unique strength lies in its approach to the innovation and commercialisation of Queen’s ground breaking research. It overlays an excellent academic research environment with an infrastructure that is more common in high-technology companies, creating a unique team of researchers, innovators and engineers that accelerates the translation of research into business. As a result, CSIT and Northern Ireland are fast becoming a global innovation hub for cyber security.”