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Canadian Institute For Cybersecurity Opens At The University Of New Brunswick

The Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity (CIC), an innovative hub for research, training and industry collaboration, opened at the University of New Brunswick on January 16, 2017 with the announcement of more than $4.5 million in funding and the establishment of a research partnership with a global technology firm.

Matt DeCourcey, Member of Parliament for Fredericton on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency; and the Honourable Brian Gallant, Premier of New Brunswick, joined representatives from the university and IBM at a news conference in Fredericton to celebrate the creation of the Institute. The CIC will train highly skilled cybersecurity professionals and provide leading-edge research on one of the most pressing issues facing society today.

The Institute, housed at existing facilities at UNB’s Fredericton campus, is a comprehensive multidisciplinary training, research and development, and entrepreneurial unit that will operate in close collaboration with researchers in the social sciences, business, computer science, engineering, law, and science faculties, as well as other national and international research centres. Dr. Ali Ghorbani, Canada Research Chair in Cybersecurity at the University of New Brunswick and Dean of the Faculty of Computer Science at the university, will serve as the founding director of the Institute.

The Government of Canada has invested $2.270 million through ACOA’s Innovative Communities Fund (ICF) and the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) for the establishment of the CIC, while the Province of New Brunswick is contributing $1.989 million through Opportunities New Brunswick and the New Brunswick Innovation Fund (NBIF). The University of New Brunswick is providing $336,232 towards this initiative.

Since 2000, UNB has played an important role in the success of cybersecurity research and innovation in New Brunswick. Today, UNB’s Faculty of Computer Science has by far the largest network security research group in the nation and is poised to lead this effort through the newly established Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity (CIC).

IBM is the Institute’s first research and development partner, helping to fund highly skilled resources in the field of cybersecurity and other in-kind contributions such as technical and management resources to provide project oversight and mentorship for students.

This partnership builds on IBM’s long-standing history of investments and partnerships across the province. In 2011, IBM acquired Q1 Labs, whose QRadar Security Intelligence Platform was developed in partnership with the University of New Brunswick. The acquisition served as a catalyst for IBM to form its security division, which is now a $2 billion business employing over 8,000 researchers, developers and security experts across 133 countries worldwide. IBM maintains a research and development and customer support centre in Fredericton, which provides support for more than 5,000 customers around the globe.

Quotes

“The Government of Canada is committed to developing world-leading clusters in areas where the innovation and expertise already exists. Today’s investment allows the University of New Brunswick to take advantage of its existing knowledge base, and establish a Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity (CIC) that will contribute to Canada’s growth in cybersecurity and innovation.”

–  The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

“The Government of Canada is pleased to support the establishment of the CIC. As this generation moves quickly to adopt the most modern of digital applications such as next generation and mobile technologies, cybersecurity is an important strategic sector, representing huge opportunities and potential for economic growth that will benefit this region for years to come.”

–  Matt DeCourcey, Member of Parliament for Fredericton

“The need for more cybersecurity support and services around the world is a huge opportunity to create jobs here in our province. New Brunswick is already a world leader in cybersecurity. Enhancing training and research opportunities through this institute is another step in seizing this significant economic opportunity.”

–  Premier Brian Gallant

“We’re poised to bring our expertise to this global industry. The Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity is a culmination of more than 15 years of successful innovation and research in cybersecurity at the University of New Brunswick. The creation of the Institute allows us to forge an even more crucial role in developing security measures necessary to protect modern critical infrastructure in Canada and beyond.”

–  University of New Brunswick President Dr. Eddy Campbell

“In today’s society, we trust highly confidential and private information to systems that are constantly under attack. The Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity is poised to alter the cyberwarfare landscape by propelling research, training and collaboration with governments and industry to new levels.”

–  Dr. Ali Ghorbani, founding director of the Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity at UNB

“IBM is proud to be the institute’s first R&D partner and to help New Brunswick build towards a knowledge-based economy. The demand for highly skilled cybersecurity professionals is one of the biggest challenges to overcome in the industry today, and it’s only expected to grow. Together, we are taking an active role in solving the existing skills gap in the province’s cybersecurity space, driving awareness to attract new talent and partnering with educators to provide next-generation training tools.”

–  Sandy Bird, IBM Fellow and CTO of IBM Security