Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity Opens at UNB
FREDERICTON – The University of New Brunswick (UNB), in partnership with IBM, officially opened The Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity on Monday.
With more than $4.5 million in funding, the institute will train highly skilled cybersecurity professionals and provide opportunities for research into cybersecurity issues and solutions. The institute is part of a larger endeavour intended to transform New Brunswick’s economic landscape into a knowledge-based economy through a focus on innovation in cybersecurity.
Ali Ghorbani, the director of The Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity and a Canada Research Chair in Cybersecurity, highlighted the importance of strong cybersecurity in countering threats.
“In today’s society, we trust highly confidential and private information to systems that are constantly under attack,” Ghorbani said in a release. “The Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity is poised to alter the cyberwarfare landscape by propelling research, training and collaboration with governments and industry to new levels.”
As the institute’s first research and development partner, IBM will help fund skilled resources programs along with other contributions such as technical and management resources to provide project oversight and mentorship for students.
“IBM is proud to be the institute’s first R&D partner and to help New Brunswick build toward a knowledge-based economy,” IBM fellow and CTO of IBM Security Sandy Bird said in a release. “The demand for highly skilled cybersecurity professionals is one of the biggest challenges to overcome in the industry today, and it’s only expected to grow.”
“Together, we are taking an active role in solving the existing skills gap in the province’s cybersecurity space, driving awareness to attract new talent and partnering with educators to provide next-generation training tools.”
The institute, which will be housed at UNB Fredericton, will serve as a multidisciplinary training, research, development and entrepreneurial unit that will collaborate with researchers in a number of fields and research centres across the region.