Research and Skills
Research & Innovation Excellence and Developing the Skills & the Talent Pipeline of Today and the Future
Collaboration is at the heart of the Lancashire Cyber Partnership's efforts on cyber skills and education. The LCP, through our universities and the Lancashire Skills and Employment Hub which is part of the Lancashire Combined County Authority (LCCA), is working with partners, stakeholders and industry across Lancashire to fulfil its objectives and actively secure its next generation of cyber professionals and is proud to be a TechFirst county.
However, we aren't starting form a low base. Lancashire’s workforce is one of its greatest assets, with over 30,000 digital and technology professionals, 15,000 software developers, and 5,300 telecoms experts.
The region’s four universities—including Lancaster University, ranked in the top 1% globally, and the University of Lancashire, one of the UK’s most entrepreneurial institutions—produce over 4,000 computing and mathematics graduates annually.
Our universities have already invested heavily in ensuring industry has access to world-class talent.
Lancaster University
Lancaster University is one of only 8 institutions nationally to hold dual NCSC accreditation as a centre of excellence for both Education and Research and also delivers the only NCSC accredited Cyber MBA in the UK.
The University has a cyber ecosystem which includes a range of cutting-edge facilities including The LENS and The Data Immersion Suite, resulting in it being one of the largest educational facilities in the country which not only helps train the next generation of science and cyber security experts, but also supports applied research across cyber‑physical and socio‑technical domains and enables collaboration with industry.
Lancaster University's Cyber Security Research Centre (CSRC) is one of the UK's longest-established Academic Centres of Excellence in cyber security research and the University is leading a range of programmes such as:
- The North West Security Connect for Commercialisation (NWCyberCom) programme – a £1.2m Research England‑funded programme accelerating the commercialisation of cyber security research across the North West
- CyberFocus is a £4.9m UKRI EPSRC-backed initiative driving the growth of the North West cyber ecosystem.
The University of Lancashire
The University of Lancashire is at the forefront of providing support for cyber and cyber security businesses via research and knowledge exchange. At its Preston and Burnley campuses, the University also trains the cyber security professionals of the future who’ll need to respond to more threats from illegal or unwanted activities as society increases its use of communication technology and information-based applications.
The University is also a champion for encouraging women into cyber jobs and has an active Women in Cyber group - creating a platform for women to connect and thrive in tech and cybersecurity. Nationally there are more women leaving the sector than there are joining it. However, the University of Lancashire is bucking the trend and on the Cyber Investigations with Digital Forensics course, the University says 75% of students are women.
Edge Hill University
Edge Hill University is playing an increasingly vital role in developing Lancashire’s cyber talent pipeline and innovation ecosystem. Through its Department of Computer Science, the University is advancing cyber security education and research with a strong emphasis on industry collaboration, skills development, and community engagement. Edge Hill offers NCSC-certified programmes, including the MSc Cyber Security (provisionally certified) and the newly validated BSc (Hons) Cyber Security, both aligned with national efforts to close the UK’s cyber skills gap.
The University combines cutting-edge theory with practical, hands-on learning, underpinned by the CyBOK framework. Its research is grounded in real-world impact, with faculty and students producing high-quality work published in leading international journals and conferences. Edge Hill’s commitment to innovation and applied research ensures its graduates are well-equipped to tackle the evolving challenges of cybersecurity.
Lancashire Skills Partnership
The LCP recognises that developing the workforce of the future needs to start now and is reaching out across all age groups.
As such, it is committed to bringing together local schools, colleges, universities, the Careers Hub and Digital Skills Partnership (both of which are part of the Lancashire Skills and Employment Hub), cadet programmes & NCF partners, to collaborate and build the talent pipeline of the future in Lancashire.
A range of activities are underway to raise awareness and enable young people, the student community and adults to find out about career opportunities aligned with NCF and the wider cyber ecosystem. These are complemented by initiatives supporting upskilling, and helping to develop the attitudes, attributes, and skills required for these careers, through co-designed curriculum and extra-curricular activities.
This will ultimately build the talent pipeline of the future and enable a diverse range of Lancashire residents to compete for cyber opportunities within our ecosystem.
One such initiative is the Lancashire Cyber Festival Education Week, an annual event, which seeks to make cyber careers accessible for Lancashire residents through inspiring, engaging and fun activities, and has a dedicated portal detailing cyber career opportunities. [LINK TO CAREERS CYBER PORTAL – need a conversation with Kerry about this]
In short, Lancashire is developing an unrivalled talent pipeline to support business growth and enables the LCP to realise its ambition to become a world-leader in cyber and related industries.