The federally-funded National Cybersecurity Consortium (NCC) has committed $22.8 million to 37 cybersecurity projects from various Canadian academic institutions, companies, and nonprofits.
The NCC is funded through the Government of Canada’s Cyber Security Innovation Network.
The funding is part of the NCC’s second annual call for proposals, which looks to financially back the commercialization, research and development, and training programs of cybersecurity technologies. Including industry partner contributions, these projects hold a total value of more than $60 million, the NCC said in a statement.
Some of the projects are led by notable industry players such as Toronto-based cybersecurity startup Protexxa and Calgary-based cybersecurity training platform ENFOCOM Cyber. The supported projects range from artificial intelligence integrations to law enforcement IT training programs, and are supported by partners such as Rogers CyberSecure Catalyst and Field Effect Software.
ENFOCOM received the most funding of any project leader, bringing in a total of $4 million for three different projects, one in each of the commercialization, research and development, and training streams.
ENFOCOM’s IntruderInsight project looks to develop methods to identify the perpetrators of cyberattacks and received the largest investment at $2 million. Its other two projects each received $1 million and are geared towards equipping law enforcement with cybersecurity training. The CyberGuardian project will leverage online platforms to provide training access to officers, while the IncidentSync project will develop and deliver a unified framework of policies for officers to apply to cybersecurity incidents. Some of ENFOCOM’s industry partners include the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Edmonton and Calgary’s Police Services, the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, and Field Effect.
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Protexxa’s project in the research and development stream received just over $1.7 million to develop an all-in-one platform that personalizes cybersecurity assessment, awareness, and protections with artificial intelligence. Project partners include Toronto Metropolitan University, Core Centre, and Montréal AI institute Mila.
Protexxa, founded in 2021 by CEO Claudette McGowan, secured $10 million in Series A funding earlier this year. The funding became the biggest equity round raised by a Black woman founder in Canada.
The NCC was created by five Canadian universities and funded through the Government of Canada’s Cyber Security Innovation Network program in 2022, providing $80 million over a four year period to encourage cybersecurity partnerships between academia and industry.
A list of the funded projects can be found on the NCC’s website.
Feature image courtesy Jose Gil on Unsplash.
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