Tag Archives: Innovate UK

West Midlands Cyber Hub Diaries: Day One (Or Perhaps Day Sixty)

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The West Midlands Cyber Hub marks a long-held ambition to give the region a central home for cyber. Building on the rebooted West Midlands Cyber Working Group (WM CWG), the Hub is designed to strengthen community coherence, increase investment, and connect students, SMEs, enterprises, and universities in a neutral space. Supported by DSIT, Innovate UK, Aston University, TechWM, and the Innovation Alliance for the West Midlands, the Hub will open its first phase at Enterprise Wharf in Birmingham, forming the core of a hub-and-spoke model across the region. The project team, led by Sevgi Aksoy and I (Wayne Horkan), with Rebecca Robinson as PM, is preparing for a pre-launch event on 30th September 2025.

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Cybersecurity Meets Health Innovation: Rethinking Risk at the OT Frontline

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Cybersecurity in healthcare isn’t an IT sidebar; it’s now a core operational risk and a foundational element of patient safety and innovation. This write-up captures the highlights, insights, and next steps from our June 2025 event (last Monday), convening leaders across health, cyber, academia, and business.

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Innovation Canvas Example 3 – West Midlands Cyber Working Group (WM CWG)

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The West Midlands Cyber Working Group (WM CWG) is a collaborative, region-wide forum uniting cyber leaders from business, academia, government, and civil society. It facilitates quarterly convenings, shared strategy development, and joint funding bids to strengthen the regional cyber ecosystem. Operating as an open, grassroots-led group, WM CWG is aligned with DSIT goals, WMCA priorities, and the UK Cyber Strategy. It seeks to drive investment, skills, and coordination through regional initiatives. Here’s an example “innovation Canvas” for the WM CWG.

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Innovation Canvas Example 2 – Psyber Inc.

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Psyber Inc. applies psychology to cybersecurity, developing behavioural risk dashboards that assess human factors behind cyber threats. Built on academic research in cyberpsychology, the platform translates user sentiment, stress, and behavioural data into actionable cyber risk insights. Psyber Inc. is led by a neurodivergent, female founder and focuses on ethical, responsible AI. It addresses rising demand for insider threat detection, resilience measurement, and human-centric cyber tools across defence, education, and enterprise. Here’s an example “innovation Canvas” for Psyber Inc.

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Mapping the Landscape: Stakeholder Grids for Startups and Ecosystems

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Understanding who matters most to your mission, and how to engage with them, is vital for any business, especially in the startup and innovation space. Whether you’re building a cyber risk platform, championing cyber psychology, or coordinating a regional community like the West Midlands Cyber Working Group (WM CWG), the ability to identify, map, and actively engage stakeholders is fundamental to long-term success.

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Innovation Canvas Example 1 – Cyber Tzar

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Cyber Tzar is a SaaS platform providing advanced cyber risk quantification for enterprise supply chains. It delivers cyber risk scoring, benchmarking, and compliance assessment through big data analytics, AI, and proprietary IP. Its “credit score for cyber” approach supports better risk visibility for insurers, CISOs, and supply chain managers. Cyber Tzar is revenue-generating, scaling through strategic partnerships, and aligned with DORA, ISO 27001, and other regulatory frameworks. Here’s an example “innovation Canvas” for Cyber Tzar.

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How to Create and Use an Innovation Canvas (and Why It Matters)

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Innovation is often portrayed as spontaneous and unpredictable. But behind every meaningful breakthrough lies a structured process. Whether you’re launching a new product, transforming a service, or reimagining your organisation’s direction, clarity and rigour are critical.

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