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Friday, March 29, 2024

Lockheed Martin’s New Cybersecurity Cluster Joins Industry, Academia and Investors

Lockheed Martin UK is creating a virtual network of businesses to allow small UK-based companies specializing in cybersecurity to obtain support and investment for the development of new technologies and markets.

The company is launching this new initiative to accelerate innovation, boost growth and allow innovative solutions created by the UK’s cybersecurity technology developers to grow and mature in order to counter the increasing threat of cyber attacks globally.

Working in partnership with technology merchant bank Restoration Partners, Lockheed Martin has created a Virtual Technology Cluster (VTC) that brings together industry, academia and the investment community.

Welcoming the news, British Prime Minister David Cameron said, “This government is committed to ensuring the UK continues to be a leader in the multi-billion dollar cybersecurity industry but the private sector also has an important role to play in supporting UK cyber innovation. This partnership between Lockheed Martin and the Restoration Partners will offer cyber entrepreneurs an incredible opportunity to engage with investors, academics and those already established in the industry.”

Building on its own investment of more than £40 million in cyber facilities at Farnborough, Hampshire, which includes a £30 million innovation laboratory available for use by small and medium-sized British companies, Lockheed Martin has invested a further £250,000 to engage the cyber supply chain and take its VTC concept from a pilot program to launch.

Lockheed Martin’s VTC will provide small, specialist businesses with access to a ready-made system of capital, professional services and suppliers relevant to their field. Through a multi-tiered arrangement, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will have the ability to trade with larger companies and benefit from growth support as well as shared intelligence, experience and ideas.

“We recognize challenges faced by SMEs when turning their innovations into products, and taking those products to market. We also know how crucial these niche businesses are to the supply chain of companies like Lockheed Martin as well as to the security of the UK,” said Stephen Ball, chief executive for Lockheed Martin UK. “Our VTC is a new way of working with suppliers to develop a comprehensive network that will stimulate growth in this crucially important technology sector.”

The VTC completed a successful pilot program in late 2014. David Guyatt, founder and CEO of Osirium, a successful participant in the initial VTC pilot program, said, “We have enjoyed ongoing support from Lockheed Martin UK through its VTC initiative. We have benefitted from exposure to more than 200 Lockheed Martin customers enabling us to demonstrate our unique approach to cybersecurity and look forward to securing new customer contracts as a direct result.”

This year, in the VTC’s first phase of operation, SMEs will be provided with opportunities to become involved in five cybersecurity contracts, which could support a further 250 jobs in the UK.

Lockheed Martin’s VTC is an extension of the company’s UK Growth and Research Initiative, a multi-million pound investment in cutting-edge university research and economic development, which currently involves 25 separate projects nationally. The initiative involves UK universities in research projects, including quantum technologies, graphene and nanotechnology, designed to propel innovative research from the laboratory into the global market.

Lockheed Martin’s New Cybersecurity Cluster Joins Industry, Academia and Investors Homeland Security Today
Homeland Security Today
The Government Technology & Services Coalition's Homeland Security Today (HSToday) is the premier news and information resource for the homeland security community, dedicated to elevating the discussions and insights that can support a safe and secure nation. A non-profit magazine and media platform, HSToday provides readers with the whole story, placing facts and comments in context to inform debate and drive realistic solutions to some of the nation’s most vexing security challenges.
Homeland Security Today
Homeland Security Todayhttp://www.hstoday.us
The Government Technology & Services Coalition's Homeland Security Today (HSToday) is the premier news and information resource for the homeland security community, dedicated to elevating the discussions and insights that can support a safe and secure nation. A non-profit magazine and media platform, HSToday provides readers with the whole story, placing facts and comments in context to inform debate and drive realistic solutions to some of the nation’s most vexing security challenges.

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