Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Cynam Pilot Cluster Project.

This grant supported the delivery of the National Cyber Security Strategy, specifically the objective to create the right ecosystem in the UK to develop and sustain a cyber security sector that can meet our national security demands. Specifically, this pilot supported the growth of the sector across the whole of the UK.

The purpose of this grant was to identify an operating framework for the existing regional cyber security clusters to build their capacity and support growth of the cyber sector in the regions. The pilot project produced a suite of guidance, including a cluster board governance model, cluster operating principles and a cluster onboarding timeline, as well as recommending the formation of an official body for UK cyber clusters. As a direct result of this Project, the UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration (UKC3) was established.