The Technology Strategy Board has launched a £6m investment competition

The Technology Strategy Board is encouraging KTN members to participate in a new funding competition organised by them, the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Public funding of £6m has been earmarked for collaborative research projects that can deliver tools and techniques to protect against vulnerabilities in the complex information systems that underpin modern society.

Background
Society depends on a network of complex integrated information systems that enable everyone in the UK to enjoy the provision of accurate, timely information and reliable services to their homes and business. The growing interdependency of these systems will continue and accelerate as more technologies are integrated to deliver richer services. Today, there is no way to model, understand, monitor and manage the risks presented by the growth of these systems. This competition will stimulate the search for new ways to analyse complex information systems and protect users by predicting where and how vulnerabilities will occur.

This is the only publicly-funded UK research into this growing global problem. It is open to individuals and organisations from any industry or academic sector whose knowledge can be applied to help address this challenge and the KTN for Industrial Mathematics has been identified as a source of relevant expertise.

Why Industrial Mathematics?
Getting the mathematics behind predictive models correct will be critical to the success of any research funded by this competition. Our collective experience in modelling risk, assessing probabilities and interpreting the resulting data to suggest changes that can reduce vulnerabilities can add real value to these projects and will support the development of new ways to assess complex information systems.

How to apply
The competition formally opens on the 16 March 2009 and expressions of interest must be submitted by 23 April 2009. The deadline for full submissions is 25 June 2009. There are three collaboration workshops on 18 March (Manchester), 20 March (London) and 6 April (Glasgow) which are an excellent opportunity to openly discuss the problem space with a diverse range of attendees. Quality time will also be spent discussing common challenge areas in smaller groups, allowing a structured opportunity to find partners and form consortia. To register for these events and for further information please visit the Network Security Innovation Platform website.

The Technology Strategy Board held an information Day on 27 February to disseminate information about the competition and how companies can get involved. Presentations from the day are now available. Further details about the competition can also be found on the Technology Strategy Board website or by contacting Paul Lewis.