SICSA’s Continued Support for Cyber Events

by

by Dr Naghmeh Moradpoor Sheykhkanloo
15 October 2018

At Edinburgh Napier University we have received SICSA funding on numerous occasions to assist our cybersecurity events. These events have included but are not limited to:

  • Post Graduate Cyber Security (PGCS) symposium – 2016: https://thecyberacademy.org/event/pgcs-symposium
    The PGCS is an annual gathering of postgraduate research students working in cybersecurity areas. It is a forum for early researchers to present and discuss their research alongside guest speakers from academia and industry. The PGCS symposium was held in parallel with the International Conference of Big Data in Cyber Security which is hosted by The Cyber Academy in collaboration with HP and ISACA. We hope that having the PGCS symposium, held in parallel with the above event, assisted the young researchers in understanding the real and up-to-date demands for cybersecurity in different organisations.
  • The Truth About Cybersecurity in 7 Words – 2017 (Poster Competition for Women in Cybersecurity – PCWiC): https://thecyberacademy.org/event/pcwics-2017
    Females are hugely under-represented at all levels within the cybersecurity industry. The lack of women in cybersecurity is something that the UK government, industry and universities are keen to address. Therefore, this event aimed to inspire women into cybersecurity roles by bringing together cyber women from across the UK in the form of a poster competition. The event was held in collaboration with Edinburgh Napier University and The Cyber Academy and in parallel with the International Conference of Big Data in Cyber Security.
  • The Truth about Cybersecurity in 7 words – 2018 (Poster Competition in Cybersecurity – PCiC): https://thecyberacademy.org/event/pcics-2018
    This event aims to inspire more people, particularly more women, into cybersecurity roles by bringing together cyber men and cyber women from across the UK in the form of a poster competition. The event was held in collaboration with Edinburgh Napier University and The Cyber Academy and in parallel with International Conference of Big Data in Cyber Security. We hope that the delegates will engage with industrial contacts for future partnerships and research-based industrial collaborations. The free cost of the event makes it an affordable home-based conference in Scotland.

Without the help of SICSA these event, and others, would not nearly have been as successful.

The application process is very clear and straight forward with no complications.  To apply for SICSA funding for research events, two forms need to be completed during the entire process:

  1. Proposal for a SICSA Research Theme Event at the beginning to secure funding.  This is forwarded to the SICSA Research Theme Leaders for their consideration.
  2. SICSA Research Theme Activity Report at the end to report the event’s outcome to SICSA which is used to allow the SICSA Directors to provide detailed information about the progress of the SICSA Research Themes to the Pool funders, Scottish Funding Council.

The application process is also quick with a decision being made in no more than four weeks of the submitted proposal, normally sooner.

I would personally like to extend my gratitude to Ms Aileen Orr for her immediate response to any queries and her priceless support and care. Thank you Aileen!

In Scotland, we continue to count on SICSA’s support for the funding of Cybersecurity Research Theme Events!