The UK’s expanding cybersecurity sector is set to receive a significant boost with millions in new investment and a fresh Cyber Growth Action Plan, as part of the government’s wider ‘Plan for Change’.
The announcement outlined a new roadmap for the UK’s thriving cyber industry, which already generates £13.2 billion in annual revenue and supported over 67,000 jobs in 2024. The plan aims to foster continued growth in technologies, processes, and services designed to protect digital systems.
Independent experts from the University of Bristol and Imperial College London’s Centre for Sectoral Economic Performance will lead the new plan. They will assess the strengths of the UK’s cyber sector and provide a roadmap for its future growth, culminating in a set of recommendations to the government later this summer.
In addition to this, up to £16 million in new investment has been earmarked for two cyber sector programmes to kickstart growth. Up to £10 million in additional funding will be invested in the CyberASAP programme over the next four years. This initiative supports cutting-edge academic cyber research in the UK, helping turn it into commercial companies. The programme has already fostered 34 spin-out companies that have raised over £43 million in investment, with the new funding aiming to generate a further 25 spin-outs by 2030 and attract an additional £30 million in investment.
To build on the government’s current cyber accelerator, Cyber Runway, up to £6 million will also be allocated to support cyber start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This funding will help firms scale, access new markets through trade missions, and strengthen the UK’s broader cyber ecosystem, ensuring the UK remains a global leader in cyber innovation and growth.
Cyber Security Minister Feryal Clark said: “Cyber security is essential to our economic strength and national resilience. Today’s announcement is backed by investment showing we’re serious about making the UK a global leader in cyber innovation and protection. Through our Plan for Change, we’re backing the sector to create high-quality jobs through the Cyber Growth Action Plan and ensuring our public services are built on secure foundations with the expert support of the Government Cyber Advisory Board.”
The Growth Action Plan is due to report later this summer and will feed into the forthcoming National Cyber Strategy, aiming to ensure the UK remains resilient and competitive in an increasingly interconnected world. The review will cover the supply and demand of cyber goods and services, including protective monitoring and encryption, and explore emerging technologies such as AI and Quantum, identifying opportunities to strengthen Britain’s competitive edge.
Professor Simon Shiu of the University of Bristol, who is leading the project, said: “The UK Cyber Sector is successful and growing, but so too are the challenges as demonstrated by recent events which have affected businesses and consumers. Based on input from all parts of the Cyber Sector, this project will make independent recommendations to accelerate growth in Cyber, but also to increase cyber-resilience in the other sectors critical to UK security, industry, and prosperity.”
The cyber sector will be a key focus of the upcoming Industrial Strategy and a central pillar of the government’s Plan for Change. Earlier this year, the Technology Secretary outlined ambitions for the forthcoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, which includes proposals to protect the UK’s supply chains, critical national services, and IT service providers and suppliers, and is expected to be introduced to Parliament later this year. Hospitals and energy suppliers are set to boost their cyber defences as part of these new measures.
Image source: Gov.uk
