New centre to help Singapore become a cybersecurity innovation hub

Oleh Si Ying Thian

The CyberSG TIG Collaboration Centre will address the cyber talent gap and help boost innovation in order to develop robust cybersecurity solutions.

The new centre was jointly launched by Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) and National University of Singapore (NUS) on 15 July. Image: CyberSG Talent, Innovation and Growth (TIG) Collaboration Centre.

Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) and National University of Singapore (NUS) have jointly launched CyberSG Talent, Innovation and Growth (TIG) Collaboration Centre on Monday.

The initiative was first unveiled last year on September 29.

*The centre was first unveiled last September. Image shows the MoU signing between CSA and NUS senior representatives. Image: CyberSG TIG Collaboration Centre.*

With the aim of positioning Singapore as a global cybersecurity innovation hub, the government and NUS have earmarked S$20 million (US$15.9 million) of funding that will go into talent, innovation, and growth programmes for the sector over the next two years.

Cyber talent and innovation are two key areas the new centre wants to hone.

Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information, Dr Janil Puthucheary, said the centre will collaborate with different stakeholders to develop the talent pipeline through manpower programmes, fund innovative companies, and nurture local companies to explore overseas markets and opportunities.

Cyber talent

The new centre will work with CSA on the latter’s existing SG Cyber Talent initiative that aims to nurture cybersecurity interest among youths, and help cybersecurity professionals to deepen their skillsets.

Dr Janil highlighted upcoming plans to professionalise the cyber workforce by establishing standards and equip non-cyber professionals with foundational cyber knowledge.

Since the first quarter this year, CSA has been studying the feasibility of developing a professional framework for the sector to enhance the quality and recognition of cybersecurity workforce.

Dr Janil highlighted upcoming plans to professionalise the cyber workforce through standards and equip non-cyber professionals with foundational cybersecurity knowledge. Image: CyberSG TIG Collaboration Centre.

The opening day saw the launch of an introductory Internet of Things (IoT) course targeting engineers seeking to gain foundational training in IoT cybersecurity.

Participants will learn to safeguard internet-enabled home appliances, devices and networks using device authentication, encryption protocols and vulnerability management.

The TIG Centre team and CSA have been engaging tertiary education institutions like the five polytechnics and NUS’ Women in Tech interest group through bootcamps to provide them with opportunities to explore cybersecurity as a career.

Last December, CSA partnered with International Information System Security Certification Consortium’s (ISC2) to offer 10,000 training places over three years for those who want to gain basic cybersecurity skills or start a career in the sector.

The entry-level certification would be internationally recognised.

Local cybersecurity startup ecosystem

To strengthen the support ecosystem for early-stage cybersecurity startups, the centre will collaborate with the country’s national deeptech agency, SGInnovate, through capital and talent investments.

Should these startups need cyber-specific mentorship, they can also look forward to venture development and early scaling support offered by the centre. The centre is partnering with global innovation and startup consultancy, Plexal, on the CyberBoost programme.

According to Computer Weekly, Plexal will connect security innovators from Asia Pacific with their British and European counterparts to equip the former with the local knowledge and expand into other markets.

Plexal previously ran similar accelerator programmes in the UK, including Cyber Runway which is the largest cyber accelerator in the UK.

Emerging tech innovations

In order to nurture emerging tech, the centre’s counterpart, CyberSG R&D Programme Office (CRPO), was set up at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) last September to drive research and development activities in the sector.

Dr Janil shared that the CyberSG Consortium will be launched to serve as a central knowledge-sharing platform for academia, research institutes, startups and large companies around the latest developments in cybersecurity research.

*A recent industry call for innovation by CSA and CyberSG TIG Collaboration Centre. Image: Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA).*

A recent industry call for innovation, which called for innovative solutions to address challenge statements, saw the participation of about 200 representatives from cybersecurity companies.

Of those awarded funding is pQCee, a local startup specialising in post-quantum computing cryptography.

Under the innovation call, the startup will develop a quantum-safe public key infrastructure that will help to fight emerging cyber threats from actors using quantum computers to exploit new vulnerabilities.

“It is timely to look into this now, as today’s cryptographic methods to secure data are likely to become vulnerable in the future, when quantum computers become powerful enough to solve complicated mathematical problems designed for PKIs,” said Dr Janil.