Thales to Open National Digital Excellence Centre in Fredericton
FREDERICTON — European technology firm Thales Group is building its National Digital Excellence Centre (NDEC) at UNB’s Knowledge Park in Fredericton. The focus of the centre will be on cyber security in industrial systems.
In a major coup for the province, the France-based multinational says New Brunswick was the right fit for NDEC Canada, as well as Thales’ Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC) for North America, which will provide “real-time protection against cyber-attacks in Canada.”
“As Canada’s only bilingual province, New Brunswick is purposefully looking to strengthen our economic and cultural ties with France,” Arlene Dunn, the minister responsible for Opportunities New Brunswick, says in a press release.
Described as a keystone in the company’s North American operations, the new centre will follow in the footsteps of the existing NDEC in Wales. It will focus on four streams: research and development, education, engaging small- and medium-sized businesses, and project work. Both NDECs are collaborations with universities and local economic development agencies.
“Thales’ decision to expand its UK-based National Digital Excellence Centre into New Brunswick is a testament to the strength of our existing cyber security ecosystem, as well as the strength of our working relationship with France and the United Kingdom, and represents another value-added opportunity to help us build on our talent pipeline. This investment further solidifies New Brunswick’s reputation as a national leader in cybersecurity,” Dunn says.
Moving forward with New Brunswick as the location for this strategically significant centre was born of the decisive action of the Government of New Brunswick and the other stakeholders, according to Thales CEO Chris Pogue.
“With the strength of institutions like UNB and the McKenna Institute, combined with the agility of small and medium-sized businesses, New Brunswick stands out for its potential for collaborative innovation on cyber capabilities and industrial systems. We were also able to rapidly establish trust with ACOA, ONB, UNB’s McKenna Institute, and Ignite, and leverage that trust to move this initiative forward together quickly and effectively,” he says in an email exchange with Huddle.
Working with the McKenna Institute at UNB, the CSOC will collaborate on the commercialization of cyber-related products. Thanks to a $1.8-million contribution from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, the Institute will collaborate with Thales to “develop new cyber security and digital resilience programs to benefit and strengthen the region’s small- and medium-sized businesses,” according to Thales.
“We really view our role as a convener. We’re going to work with other post-secondary institutions in New Brunswick, and the broader education system, to continue to evolve our cyber security education in the province,” says Adrienne Oldford, executive director of the McKenna Institute.
Educational cybersecurity programming for youth is going to be a key component ofthe McKenna Institute’s work, in collaboration with other educational partners.
“It’s just such an important field that we need to start educating our youth earlier in cyber security because it has meaning for their lives but it’s also going to drive a lot of the economy going forward.”
Working with small business will be the other key component of the upcoming programs.
“We have a lot of cyber security companies, and we have a lot of small and medium businesses that are grappling with cyber security issues. The National Digital Excellence Centre is a place where they can come and get some guidance, but then also test some products and test some ideas.”
Oldford says programs will be mapped out over the summer and program development will start in September.
“We want to make sure that in the long-term that New Brunswick companies have the talent that they need, not only to grow and develop here but also innovate from here,” Oldford says.
Thales’ cyber security products are used by NATO member states and major financial institutions to protect assets and infrastructure using tactics such as cryptography. The company itself is multifaceted with a significant presence in defence, aerospace, digital identity, and transport. The company is moving into “deep tech,” with a focus on artificial intelligence, Big Data, and quantum technology.
Thales already has a presence across Canada with more than 2,000 employees from Halifax to Vancouver.
ACOA has also contributed $1.2 million to Ignite Fredericton to contribute to the design and construction of the facility, which will act as a regional hub for cyber skills development and partnerships among academia, and the business community.
The combined contribution of federal and provincial governments to the project is an estimated $8.6 million, including $5.5 million in the form of a payroll rebate over five years to support the development of the centre, via ONB.
It’s anticipated that 110 jobs will be created as a result of the establishment of the centre and that the facility will contribute up to $63 million in direct provincial GDP over a five-year period.
Alex Graham is a Huddle reporter in Saint John. Send her your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].