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Today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced that the National Cybersecurity Consortium (NCC) will receive up to $80 million to lead the Cyber Security Innovation Network (CSIN). This funding will help foster a strong national cyber security ecosystem in Canada and position the country as a global leader in cyber security.
In order to expand Canada’s national cyber security ecosystem and increase collaboration between academia, the private sector, not-for-profit sectors and other levels of government from across Canada, CSIN will enhance research and development, increase commercialization, and develop skilled cyber security talent. By encouraging partnerships between academia and industry, the network will help address the shortage of cyber security specialists. And by leveraging Canada’s highly skilled workforce, world-class universities and growing cyber security industry, CSIN will support Canada’s leadership in cyber security.
The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring Canada is a leader in cyber security innovation and talent development. By supporting the growth of Canada’s cyber security ecosystem and helping build Canadians’ trust in the digital world, the CSIN program helps to underscore the second key principle of Canada’s Digital Charter: Safety and Security.
Organizations interested in engaging with CSIN can contact the NCC directly.
Quotes
“Demands on the digital economy continue to rapidly grow, and cyber security is an ever-increasing concern for Canadians and Canadian businesses. That’s why it is vital to support and invest in a strong, secure and resilient Canadian cyber ecosystem. Through this investment, the Cyber Security Innovation Network will not only help drive Canada’s prosperity, security and innovation but also help build a nation of cyber security trailblazers.”
– The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
“We are thrilled that the Government of Canada has appointed the NCC to lead the CSIN program. We believe that under the NCC’s leadership, CSIN will become a major force for the advancement of cybersecurity innovation in Canada. As a nation-wide network, CSIN is poised to meaningfully advance cybersecurity across all sectors and in all regions of Canada. CSIN opens a new chapter of collaborative innovation in Canadian cybersecurity, and we are looking forward to working closely with all stakeholders as we build CSIN over the months ahead.”
– Dr. N. Asokan, Dr. Ken Barker, Dr. Mourad Debbabi, Charles Finlay and Dr. Ali Ghorbani, NCC Executive Group
Quick facts
- The National Cybersecurity Consortium (NCC) is a not-for-profit organization working with the public and private sectors to lead world-class cyber security innovation and talent development.
- The NCC will receive up to $80 million over four years, starting in 2021–22, for a project with a potential total value of well above $160 million, including significant cash and in-kind contributions from supporting organizations.
- The NCC was founded in 2020 by centres of expertise on cyber security at five Canadian universities: University of Calgary, Concordia University, University of New Brunswick, Ryerson University and University of Waterloo.
- In applying to the Government of Canada to lead the Cyber Security Innovation Network (CSIN), the NCC worked collaboratively with more than 140 researchers from 35 post-secondary institutions, 16 large firms, 30 small and medium-sized firms, 26 not-for-profit organizations and 8 governments and governmental organizations across Canada.
- CSIN is in line with the objective of the National Cyber Security Strategy to support an innovative and adaptive cyber security ecosystem.
- According to Statistics Canada, the Canadian cyber security industry contributed over $2.3 billion in GDP and 22,500 jobs to the Canadian economy in 2018.
- Canadian businesses reported spending $7 billion in 2019 to prevent, detect and recover from cyber security incidents.
- Canada’s Digital Charter and its 10 principles offer a comprehensive approach to building Canadians’ trust and empowering Canadians to reach their full innovative and economic potential.