Bournemouth University has been awarded nearly £2.3 million by the Office for Students to develop a new Cyber Competence Centre that will address regional and national cyber skills gaps.
As well as upgrading the university’s existing facilities, the investment will be used to launch a new, AI-powered, Security Operations Centre of the Future (SOCOF) for students to learn how to detect and respond to realistic cyber threats.
“There is a well-documented shortage of digital and cyber skills in the UK, and we are seeing an increasing number of high-profile cyber-attacks on businesses such as those on Marks and Spencer and Co-Op,” said Professor Nan Jiang, Head of BU’s School of Computing and Engineering. “Rapid advances in AI have intensified the threats and increased the pressure on cyber professionals. Through the new centre, we will provide immersive critical incident scenarios, so students can develop the skills needed to meet urgent industry demand and strengthen the UK’s cyber resilience,” he added.
The Security Operations Centre will give students the chance to work with industry partners such as Battle Lab, ESET and JP Morgan to ensure their learning is based on real-world needs.
Uniquely, the centre will also explore ways to support the psychological wellbeing of cyber professionals.
“We are seeing high levels of burnout in the industry, which is being exacerbated by the intensity of AI-driven attacks,” said Vasilis Katos, Professor in Cyber Security at BU. “So, unlike many other cyber centres, we will be integrating mental health support into cyber resilience programmes.”
The funding will also be used for university staff and students to run training courses for members of the public and local businesses as part of the Dorset Digital Skills Partnership, further helping to build up cyber resilience locally. These training opportunities will include skills bootcamps, employer-designed programmes and new flexible short courses.
“Small and Medium-sized Enterprises make up 99.8% of all businesses in Dorset,” Professor Jiang explained. “This means the facility will play a particularly vital role in upskilling the workforce in our local community and support regional and national economic growth strategies.”
Professor Christos Gatzidis, Dean of the Faculty of Media, Science and Technology at BU, said: “This award recognises the strengths of Bournemouth University in the area of cyber security and enables the development of new and very specialised infrastructure. Our new centre will support not just our current and future students but also external partners and the local community, in this key area of the UK’s current industrial strategy.”
The university will launch the new Cyber Competence Centre in March 2026.
