Scotland’s new home for cybersecurity research, innovation, and industry growth, Abertay cyberQuarter, has officially opened at Abertay University.
The £18m hub in the university’s Annie Lamont Building has been jointly funded by the University and the UK Government (£5.7m) and Scottish Government (£6m) through the Tay Cities Region Deal. Providing a new model for supporting the rapidly growing cyber sector in a first of its kind facility.
We acted as principal contractor, with the construction managed by SCAPE and the designs created by Wellwood Leslie Architects.
We’re proud to have been involved in this first of it’s kind project. Delivering a building that will act as Scotland’s home for cybersecurity research.
The facility offers a physical space for collaboration and experimentation between industry and academia. The Abertay cyberQuarter also has a secure cloud-computing infrastructure that will be used for specialist online teaching and provision of R&D and knowledge exchange activities.
Operating over four floors, the centre provides a flexible range of open plan spaces for group working. As well as private office accommodation for use by established businesses or new start-up companies, seminar rooms for training and CPD delivery. Additionally the new facility also offers an events space, an outdoor terrace, and a cinema / lecture theatre.
We are proud to have been the principal contractor for the university’s redevelopment of the Annie Lamont Building into the Abertay cyberQuarter. It’s great to have worked with the university and the Scape Scotland framework team to deliver this innovative Tay Cities Region Deal project. Providing Dundee with another refurbished building for education, collaboration and employment. The project has also made a significant contribution to social value through local spend and investment in the training of students.
Paul Griffen
Managing Director at McLaughlin & Harvey
We were joined by Abertay University Principal, Professor Liz Bacon, alongside UK Government Scotland Office Minister, Iain Stewart MP for the official opening. As well as Scottish Government Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work, Richard Lochhead MSP and Dundee City Councillor Mark Flynn of the Tay Cities Region Joint Committee.
Abertay University is a UK leader in cybersecurity education. It is also the only institution in Scotland to have received gold-level recognition as an Academic Centre for Excellence in Cyber Security Education from the National Cyber Security Centre (part of GCHQ).
Students from the University’s Ethical Hacking, Computing and Cybersecurity programmes will have first-hand access to Abertay cyberQuarter. Learning directly from industry professionals, while also bringing fresh thinking and new approaches to joint projects.
Today is a truly landmark moment for Abertay University as we create a new home for Scotland’s cybersecurity community, around which the sector can be supported to experiment, develop and thrive. This first-class hub will, crucially, help Scotland to retain the huge amount of graduate talent that comes out of Abertay and our partner institutions every year, and will also act as a secure, shared space where new solutions to global cyber challenges can be addressed for the common good.
Professor Liz Bacon
Principal at Abertay University
