Welcome to CyberNorth’s January Newsletter

CyberNorth is working to support the growth and development of the whole cyber security community across the North East region. Find out more below and make sure you sign up so you don't miss out on key events and fun activities!

New additions to the CyberNorth team 

As we continue to promote and support our members and the cyber security sector within the North East, we're delighted to welcome three new team members to CyberNorth.

Jon Holden joins us at the lead for Cyber and Fintech, Nicola Halse as the new Marketing Manager and Claire Pickersgill who will be looking after PR and events.

Head across to our website to read more on the team and to connect with them on LinkedIn.

Come along to CyberSips

A great opportunity to network, discover new opportunities and keep up to date with our latest news, our January CyberSips event is not to be missed.

At this relaxed get-together we'll be discussing upcoming events, member news and much more, so, come along and grab a cuppa, we'll see you there.

📅 Thursday 30th January

⏰ 9am-11am

📍 Newcastle - exact location to be confirmed

BOOK YOUR FREE SPOT HERE

GISEC Global

Grab your chance to be part of the Middle East and Africa's largest Cyber Security event, GISEC Global. 

Supported by the UK Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and in partnership with the UK Ambassador to the UAE and Cyber News Global, places are available in the UK Pavilion both as an exhibitor or delegate.

📅 6-8th May 2025

📍 Dubai World Trade Centre

Head across to our website to view the UK Pavilion brochure and to register your interest.

Innovation Centre 2.0

Have an idea for a cyber security business or want to get started in the sector?  Our Innovation Centre programme is just for you!

Taking place at Maybrook House in Newcastle, the innovation centres will take place one day per week for six weeks throughout February and March. These interactive workshops, covering Product, Customers, Company, Money, People and Meet the Buyer are delivered by highly regarded professionals in the business support industry.

Applicants can be in education, employment or otherwise, as long as the business idea relates to cyber security and you want help either getting off the ground or finding out whether it’s viable, the Innovation Centre is for you!

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE INNOVATION CENTRE

FutureScot Conference

As part of our continuous work to ensure you have connections all round the country and across the globe, we’ve teamed up with our closest neighbours and are putting together a trade mission to Scotland. 

Hosed by CyberNorth's sister cluster, ScotlandIS, as well as meeting, connecting & chatting to key suppliers in the Scottish security sector, you will also get to attend Scotland’s leading public sector cyber resilience conference, FutureScot.

Also marking the Scottish Government’s Cyber Scotland Week, it's a fantastic opportunity to showcase talent and cyber support in the North East. 

📅 24th - 26th February

📍 University of Strathclyde, Technology & Innovation Centre, Glasgow

 To register your interest, simply drop us an email at hello@cybernorth.biz and we'll provide more information.

Securing Smart Cities

As part of their Cyber Runway programme (a national incubator programme for cyber start ups), Plexal will be holding an event here in the North East and would love to see you there.

The session will look at securing Smart Cities and will include talks from Sunderland City Council about their smart city plans, as well as other smart cities around the country. There will also be a networking lunch and an opportunity to meet the companies currently participating in the Plexal Cyber Runway programme. 

📅 Wednesday 5th February

⏰ 1pm - 5.30pm

📍 Sunderland City Hall 

BOOK YOUR PLACE HERE

Senior Leaders event

This will be our first quarterly Senior Leaders event aimed at company owners and leaders across the cluster.

Joined by a Procurement Lawyer from Womble Bond Dickson, they will be providing an overview of the new Procurement Act and what this may mean for your work with the public sector.

We'll also be joined by colleagues at Department of Business and Trade to discuss our upcoming trade mission to the Middle East in May 2025.

📅 Tuesday 4th February 2025

⏰ 5pm-7.30pm

📍 Womble Bond Dickinson, Newcastle upon Tyne

REGISTER YOUR PLACE HERE

Citizen Centered AI

With Artifical Intelligence being in everyone's thoughts, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has announced 12 UKRI Centres for Doctoral Training across the country to train the next generation of researchers in the applications and implications of AI. 

Northumbria’s UKRI AI Centre for Doctoral Training in Citizen-Centred AI (CCAI) will train over 60 such researchers to place citizens at the centre of the design and development of AI applications and services. The Centre’s research will draw upon our expertise in AI, Human Computer Interaction (HCI), Design, Psychology, and Business & Law.

CyberNorth is delighted to be partnering with Northumbria University in this exciting venture to support researchers to be multi-disciplinary activists in designing AI products, systems and services that connect people and their data, to government, industry and other organisations in ways that prioritise peoples’ thoughts, needs, rights, and aspirations.

CyberNorth members are invited to get involved with the research, including setting the agenda for project topics. Students will work with members to undertake short-term live projects as individuals and in teams, as well as larger, longer-term individual dissertation projects.

Email your interest to: ccai.cdt@northumbria.ac.uk

January events

If you're like us and raring to go for 2025, check out these fantastic four events in January. New events are added all the time so keep checking the website for additions:

• Jan 10 - PLATFORM
• Jan 29 - Cyber Intelligence Alliance - CyberWhite
• Jan 30 - CyberSips
• Jan 31 - PLATFORM

🤝 Save the date! On the 18th March 2025, in conjunction with UMi, come along to our Meet the Buyer event at Newcastle Civic Centre.  The day will see North East cyber companies hold pre-arranged meetings with companies looking to purchase cyber products and services.  Our team are working with UMi at the moment to firm up the buyers who will be attending, if you're interested in coming along to the event and would like to be kept up to date, please let us know at hello@cybernorth.biz  

Don't forget, if you have a cyber security related event, CyberNorth is happy to promote it. You can get in touch via hello@cybernorth.biz

About CyberNorth

CyberNorth is the region’s cybersecurity community, supported by Accenture, UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration and recognised by the Department for Science, Information and Technology (DSIT) and the National Cyber Security Centre as representing the region. It is part of the UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration (UKC3) and Global Epic.

CyberNorth is working to support all organisations across the regional cybersecurity ecosystem including cybersecurity service suppliers, consumers of cybersecurity services, academia, government, other public sectors including blue light organisations, media and policy makers. 

Our aim is to position the North East as a great place to deliver cybersecurity services.