Ryerson University has received $30 million in public and private investment to support a new national innovation hub for collaboration in cybersecurity, located in Brampton, Ont.

“Safeguarding Canadians’ digital privacy and security is essential to ensuring continued trust in the digital world.”

The hub is being called the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, and will offer over training programs in the field of cybersecurity, to meet the high demand for skilled workers in the sector. The centre will bring together researchers and industry players to develop preventative solutions to cyber-threats. The government said a cybersecurity business accelerator that will take in 60 companies to commercialize new technology.

“Safeguarding Canadians’ digital privacy and security is essential to ensuring continued trust in the digital world,” said Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. “By leveraging expertise from our post-secondary institutions, like Ryerson, and drawing from a strong pipeline of Canadian talent, our government is ensuring that our workers have the right skills to seize the opportunities of this new economy and help protect Canadians’ privacy and security online.”

The investment consists of a $10 million from FedDev Ontario, a $10 million from Rogers Communications, a $5 million from Royal Bank of Canada, and a $5 million from the City of Brampton.

The federal government investment is being made through FedDev Ontario, the regional development agency for Southern Ontario. In February, FedDev committed $1 billion to help foster startup and not-for-profit growth in the region.

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The cybersecurity hub will part of Ryerson University’s new Brampton campus, originally announced in partnership with Province of Ontario and Sheridan College, expected to open in 2022. It should be noted that the provincial government did not participate in this investment, and pulled all funding for Ryerson’s Brampton campus last fall.

Mohamed Lachemi, president and vice-chancellor of Ryerson University said the hub will provide training, commercial acceleration, support for applied research and development, public education, and policy development.

“We look forward to working with… collaborators across industry sectors and in many other post-secondary institutions, to tackle the challenges and seize the opportunities of cybersecurity in this fiercely competitive global economy,” Lachemi said.

Minister Bains said its investment builds on the Digital Charter. The charter’s 10 principles outline how Canada can address the challenges that come with a digital world. The second principle is specifically focused on ensuring Canadians’ safety and security online, and the government said this funding helps to fulfill this principle.

Image courtesy Ryerson University