Economy Minister Dr has announced that
ANGOKA is investing £1.8million in a world-leading cyber security
solution for the advanced manufacturing sector.
The COSMIC (Cybersecurity for Operational Systems in
Manufacturing and Industrial Control) initiative will deliver a
cyber security solution to protect organisations from the threat
of cyber attacks due to the digitalisation of manufacturing
systems. It is being developed in partnership with the Advanced
Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC) and with financial support
from Invest NI.
Making the announcement while meeting with ANGOKA and AMIC at
Catalyst Belfast, the Minister said: “This investment by
ANGOKA will help increase productivity, create good jobs, and
boost innovation across two of our priority sectors - cyber
security and advanced manufacturing.
“It is the result of collaboration between government,
academia and the private sector. And it has been enabled by the
City and Growth Deal which established the Advanced Manufacturing
Innovation Centre. So today's announcement is a great example of
our economic strategy paying dividends.”
Founded in 2019, ANGOKA's technology has been developed for smart
and connected systems ensuring that machines can communicate
securely without interference from hackers and cyber security
threats.
ANGOKA Chairman, Steve Berry said: “With cyber
threats growing in both scale and sophistication, demand for
solutions that protect online devices has surged across the
globe. COSMIC is a reaction to the growing need for cyber
security adoption in the advanced manufacturing sector due to the
detrimental impact any breaches could have on the operational
resilience of manufacturing facilities.
“Our new solution will allow us to expand our core offering and
achieve ambitious growth targets. It will be designed for ease of
deployment both on existing and new manufacturing equipment. This
seamless deployment will be a key enabler for breaking into new
markets across the globe.”
Over the next two years AMIC will support the development of the
solution through product testing, identification of target
customers for commercial deployments and acting as a point of
contact with industry groups.
Sam Turner, CEO of AMIC said: “AMIC is at the heart of the
innovation support system for Northern Ireland manufacturing. Led
by Queen's University in partnership with industry, Antrim and
Newtownabbey Borough Council and Ulster University, we support
our industrial clients in transforming processes and introducing
new cutting-edge innovative products.
“With our new Factory-of-the-Future opening in 2026 and our
mission to drive growth, competitiveness and innovation, the AMIC
team is delighted to support ANGOKA with this project.”
Dr Vicky Kell, Director of Innovation, Research and Development
at Invest NI added: “This investment in R&D is a vote of
confidence in our talent, infrastructure and R&D capabilities
in Northern Ireland. The benefits of investing in R&D are
rich, and ANGOKA is testament to how R&D can enable the
development of game changing products which can drive
competitiveness in the global market.
“This investment directly supports our business strategy, which
prioritises accelerating innovation and maximising the wider
benefits of City and Growth Deals to drive innovation and build
collaboration with academia and industry to develop
next-generation products and services.”
Invest NI's R&D support for this project is part funded by
the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF).
Notes to editors:
- Photo caption: Pictured as it is announced that ANGOKA
is investing £1.8m in a world-leading cyber security solution for
the advanced manufacturing sector are (L-R) Sam Turner, CEO of
AMIC, Economy Minister Dr , Steve Berry, ANGOKA
Chairman and Dr Vicky Kell, Director of Innovation, Research
and Development at Invest NI.
- ANGOKA's total investment figure for the project is
£1,849,994. AMIC's total investment figure for the project is
£228,729.
- Invest NI has offered ANGOKA £765,997 of grant support for
this project.
- Invest NI has offered AMIC £228,279 of grant support for this
project.
- AMIC represents a £100m collaborative, innovative powerhouse
of advanced manufacturing. It is being delivered by Queen's
University Belfast in partnership with industry, Antrim and
Newtownabbey Borough Council, Ulster University, and supported by
the UK Government and NI Executive through the Belfast Region
City Deal.
