Belfast firm to invest nearly £2m in cybersecurity product
A Belfast-based firm is investing nearly £2m on developing a cyber security product for advanced manufacturing.
Angoka is spending £1.8m creating the solution designed to help businesses defend increasingly digitalised manufacturing processes.
The product is being jointly developed with the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC), a project which brings together Queen's University Belfast and Ulster University with public sector bodies to support industry. The project has also received funding from Invest NI.
Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald said: 'This investment by Angoka will help increase productivity, create good jobs, and boost innovation across two of our priority sectors - cyber security and advanced manufacturing.
'It is the result of collaboration between government, academia and the private sector. And it has been enabled by the City and Growth Deal which established the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre.
'So today's announcement is a great example of our economic strategy paying dividends.'
Angoka chairman Steve Berry said: 'With cyber threats growing in both scale and sophistication, demand for solutions that protect online devices has surged across the globe.
'COSMIC is a reaction to the growing need for cyber security adoption in the advanced manufacturing sector due to the detrimental impact any breaches could have on the operational resilience of manufacturing facilities.
'Our new solution will allow us to expand our core offering and achieve ambitious growth targets. It will be designed for ease of deployment both on existing and new manufacturing equipment.
'This seamless deployment will be a key enabler for breaking into new markets across the globe.'
Sam Turner, chief executive of AMIC, said the company is at the heart of the innovation support system for Northern Ireland manufacturing.
'Led by Queen's University in partnership with industry, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council and Ulster University, we support our industrial clients in transforming processes and introducing new cutting-edge innovative products.
'With our new Factory-of-the-Future opening in 2026 and our mission to drive growth, competitiveness and innovation, the AMIC team is delighted to support Angoka with this project.'
Dr Vicky Kell, director of innovation, research and development at Invest NI said: 'This investment in R&D is a vote of confidence in our talent, infrastructure and R&D capabilities in Northern Ireland.
'The benefits of investing in R&D are rich, and Angoka is testament to how R&D can enable the development of game changing products which can drive competitiveness in the global market.
'This investment directly supports our business strategy, which prioritises accelerating innovation and maximising the wider benefits of City and Growth Deals to drive innovation and build collaboration with academia and industry to develop next-generation products and services.'
Angola was founded in 2019 by Mr Berry, and specialises in authentication technology. It also offers threat analysis and risk assessment services to companies. Clients and partners include Sunderland City Council and the UK Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles.
As part of its work on the security of self-driving vehicles, Angoka is one of the partners on the Harlander self-driving bus, which aims to enter service on the Belfast Harbour estate in the coming months.
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