Queen's 'secures' £25m for UK's cy...( Queen's University Belfast is to bec...)

Queen's University Belfast is to become the United Kingdom's lead centre for the developing technology to counter malicious 'cyber-attacks' after a funding boost from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

Almost 7m from the EPSRC will help fund a new Innovation and Knowledge Centre - the Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT) - which will be based at Queen's Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology (ECIT) in the Northern Ireland Science Park, Belfast.

CSIT will create the security infrastructure needed to safeguard the trustworthiness of information stored electronically, both at home and in the workplace.

The Centre will bring together research specialists in complementary fields such as data encryption, network security systems, wireless enabled security systems and intelligent surveillance technology.

Funding has been provided by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (6.95m), the Technology Strategy Board (2.5m), industry partners (7m) and Queen's (8.8m).

Queen's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Peter Gregson said: "ECIT's mission has always been to undertake more ambitious and real-world research than is usual in a university environment. I am delighted the work of ECIT has once again been recognised on a national level by our partners in the EPSRC, the Technology Strategy Board and industry. Within five years, CSIT will be a self-financing, globally recognised UK research centre, coupling pioneering research with economic development."

Professor John McCanny, Director of ECIT said: "The internet is evolving into an essential utility like electricity, gas and water. Currently, around one trillion devices have the ability to access the internet and connectivity has never been easier. With global connectivity though comes global vulnerability in terms of privacy, security and trustworthiness of information.

"The new Centre at E
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