National Cyber Security Cluster 'Cyber Ireland' Announced

An initiative to establish a national cyber security cluster in Ireland has been announced.

Cyber Ireland will be facilitated by the Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) and supported by IDA Ireland.

The cluster will provide a collective voice to the needs of the cyber security sector and address key issues including the need for more skilled professionals, research and the development of a national community that connects industry, academia and government.

CIT has expertise in the area of best practice cluster development and a strong core of in-depth cyber security skills among its faculty.

Welcoming the initiative Minister Richard Bruton, Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment whose department holds responsibility for Ireland's national cyber security strategy said: "Today's announcement of a National Cyber Security Cluster is a really exciting opportunity. Supported by Cork IT and backed by government funding, this initiative will greatly advance the sector in Ireland, by facilitating greater collaboration between the companies involved. There are already more than 6,000 people employed in Cyber Security here, but there is considerable potential for further growth, particularly within areas like cloud computing.

"Cyber Ireland will also provide a collective voice for the sector and will provide an avenue for challenges facing the sector to be addressed. Overall the establishment of the cluster will result in a better cyber security response for the State and better outcomes for the companies involved."

Dr Eoin Byrne, Senior Researcher in CIT who will lead and manage development of the cluster said, "For Cyber Ireland to be successful, it needs to be industry-driven, supported by third level education and Government. Without the co-operation of these three pillars, the cluster cannot reach its full potential. Industry must be at the core of the cluster, which needs to be championed by passionate and dedicated leaders.

"Academia is also critical in addressing the skills and training needs of industry. We look forward to engaging with industry and academia across Ireland in the coming months to develop a programme that is in line with international best practice in cluster development based on key learnings from successful cluster initiatives elsewhere in Europe."

Martin Shanahan, CEO of IDA Ireland said: "Ireland has become a significant base of international technology and cyber security companies thanks to a growing, well-educated and flexible workforce with a rapidly increasing graduate output. The cyber security industry in Ireland is growing at an unprecedented rate and we believe Ireland is uniquely placed to benefit from increased global investment to position itself as a world class cyber security cluster."

Cyber Ireland is also supported by a number of leading online safety and technology firms in Ireland, who called for the establishment of a cluster to represent industry needs and address key challenges, including Johnson Controls International, Dell EMC, IBM, McAfee, McKesson and Trend Micro.



(JG)