Lancashire Cyber Fest: North West’s Global Cyber Chance
More than 200 senior business leaders, investors, policymakers, and academics from across the UK gathered this week at the Lancashire Cyber Festival hosted at Lancaster University.
Building upon the success of the 2023 inaugural event, delegates – including policy makers, business leaders, representatives from cyber related networks, academics, investors and third sector leaders – explored Lancashire’s unique opportunity to become a global leader in cyber-enabled defence and security.
Produced by the Lancashire Cyber Partnership (LCP), a strategic collaboration between BAE Systems, Lancashire County Council, Lancaster University, the National Cyber Force (NCF), and the University of Lancashire, the event brought together experts in research and innovation, careers, skills and education to explore partnerships and business growth opportunities.
Lancaster University is a world leader in cyber security and protection science. Home to strong cross-disciplinary expertise, it is one of only a handful of universities nationally to be identified by the National Cyber Security Centre as an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research and Cyber Security Education.
Across two days, the event highlighted Lancashire’s growing cyber ecosystem and the pivotal role it will play in the UK’s ‘whole of society’ approach to strengthening national security, as outlined in the Strategic Defence Review (SDR). In addition to the SDR, the government’s Spending Review (SR) pledged to significantly increase national defence spending and committed to making defence an ‘engine of UK growth’.
Both these recent government announcements could offer major competitive advantages to Lancashire, especially in areas such as combat aircraft, AI and cyber security, autonomous vehicles, and expanded defence research & development.
Nick Miles, the National Cyber Force’s Deputy Director for Samlesbury, said: “The recent Strategic Defence Review has clearly stated what a vital role regional innovation ecosystems like Lancashire’s have to play in strengthening national defence and security, by fostering local-national partnerships, and building critical mass in key technologies such as cyber.
“This year’s Cyber Festival has further demonstrated how our best in class collaboration between industry, academia, and government, is setting the stage for significant inward investment and growth across the wider North West.
“As the NCF prepares to open our Samlesbury headquarters, we are excited to be at the forefront of this once in a generation opportunity for the region.”
Lancaster University Pro Vice-Chancellor for Engagement Professor Sarah Kemp said: “Lancaster University is home to world-class cyber research, skills and education. Along with our partners we are keen to be part of securing this once-in-a-generation opportunity for our region. By building connections and exploring solutions that bridge organisations and reach beyond our own expertise we are working together on critical challenges including that of building a safer, prosperous and more resilient world.”
With Lancashire named in the government’s new Industrial Strategy as one of the UK’s leading hubs of cyber security excellence – alongside a commitment to making cyber one of the country’s most important ‘frontier technologies’ – the festival looked at what Lancashire can do to maximise such transformative opportunities.
As part of that theme, renowned international investor and entrepreneur, Nicole Junkermann, led a discussion around how Lancashire can effectively leverage national government investment to unlock more private sector growth.
She said: “Today’s event made it clear: Lancashire has everything it needs to become a national centre of gravity for cyber innovation – not just the physical assets, but the ambition to turn them into long-term impact. What’s needed now is coordination, capital, and the confidence to scale what’s already happening on the ground.”
How cyber can support both Lancashire’s broader economic priorities and the government’s Industrial Strategy aspirations was a subject unpacked by Mo Isap, Chair of the Lancashire County Combined Authority’s (LCCA) Business Board.
He said: “The LCCA’s Growth Plan puts security, nuclear and digital as Lancashire’s primary economic drivers. Cyber, as a cross-cutting enabler, is essential to the success of all three, and an area where we can develop a genuine competitive edge.
“As highlighted in the Industrial Strategy, Lancashire is also the UK’s cyber county, and we will lead on delivering our nation’s long term security on behalf of government. The Lancashire Cyber Festival has given us the opportunity to show that we not only have the capabilities and capacity to fulfil this role, but that we have the ambition to go much further.”
The North West working together to make the most of cyber-led investment was another central festival topic.
The collective strengths of the North West Cyber Corridor – a cluster of cyber businesses, governmental agencies, digital innovation hubs, and critical infrastructure providers – were explored in a discussion panel chaired by Victoria Knight, Strategic Engagement & Integrated Operations Director from BAE Systems.
In addition, a keynote presentation by MIT’s Dr Phil Budden, an expert in innovation and entrepreneurship, showed how Lancashire has the potential to develop an integrated, innovative ecosystem which could help the North West Cyber Corridor become a global exemplar.
Research from Lancaster University presented at the festival reinforced both these sessions. It revealed that the number of cyber security companies based in the North West rose from 300 to 350 in 2025, representing 10% of all UK cyber activity. The figures also reported that 49% of all UK external cyber security investment was secured by the North West in 2024.
A spokesperson from the LCP said: “This year’s festival had a strong focus on maximising the government’s increased spending on defence, security and cyber, while simultaneously enabling growth in other key Lancashire sectors and their supply chains.
“Feedback from delegates, including many SMEs, suggests it was relevant and timely, and we look forward to helping to channel the ideas generated by the event into tangible actions which will help Lancashire realise its full commercial potential.
“But this is only the start. Building on the momentum from this year’s festival and the ongoing growth of Lancashire’s vibrant cyber ecosystem, the LCP will enable other opportunities to drive innovation and attract investment. With Lancashire’s assets, skills, and ambition firmly in place, the region is poised for even greater achievements.”
The festival marked the second major intervention of the year by the LCP. In February, it produced Lancashire’s Cyber Education Week, a week-long celebration of cyber skills and careers which engaged over 12,000 young people across 200 local schools and colleges.
https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/news/lancashire-cyber-festival-highlights-north-wests-opportunity-to-build-a-world-leading-cyber-ecosystem