- Knowledge Transfer Partnership will enhance Intercity’s already award-winning cyber assessment framework, taking it to the next level
- Aston Business School’s expertise in cyber, AI and organisational change will combine to transform access to cyber assessments in SMEs and high risk sectors
- AI-powered framework will ensure more companies can make informed decisions to mitigate their risks.
Aston University is collaborating with a Midlands based technology company to create an innovative AI tool able to assess businesses’ cybersecurity and resilience.
Through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), a team of researchers are working with Intercity Technology Ltd to take their already award-winning Cyber Assessment Framework to the next level, by incorporating it into a generative AI model (CAFAI).
CAFAI will provide Intercity with a competitive advantage in the market, increasing their visibility and cementing their position as leaders in the field to support the growth of their cybersecurity business.
The research is also set to have much wider benefits. CAFAI will make a cyber assessment framework accessible to a greater number of companies, particularly small and medium sized businesses in sectors which are particularly at risk, enabling them to make informed decisions to improve their cyber resilience.
Director of security and head of AI strategy at Intercity, Lee Doughty said:
“We're only as strong as our weakest link. If we increase the threshold for cyber security, then we all become, by extension, more secure.
"For Intercity, this is about democratising cyber security, taking it out of the hands of a few technical experts and making it accessible to many.
"These are challenging times for businesses and we want to make sure they have the right information available to them, so they can invest where it matters most and where they can get the maximum protection.”
Alexeis Garcia Perez, professor of digital business and society at Aston Business School, said:
“Applying artificial intelligence to the way that businesses and organisations maintain their security is vitally important. In particular, we’re not simply applying AI models that exist today but developing a new model in such a way that it will continue to learn and adapt. We want to embed the capability to learn about the companies and learn about the cyber environment, to create something that will have value for the long term.”
Aston Business School has exactly the mix of expertise in AI, cyber security and organisational change required for the project, including within its Cyber Security Innovation (CSI) Centre. CSI members include globally-recognised academics undertaking research projects that impact and address real-world cyber security challenges. Aston Business School is one of the UK’s leading business schools for supporting small and medium enterprises, ranking in the UK’s top ten and 66th in the 2024 QS World Rankings by subject for Business and Management Studies.
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, funded by Innovate UK, are collaborations between a business, a university and a highly qualified research associate. The UK-wide programme helps businesses to improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills. Aston University is a sector-leading KTP provider, ranked first for project quality, and joint first for the volume of active projects.
For more information on the KTP visit the webpage.
- Notes to Editors
Watch our short film to see how it works and visit our website for examples of KTP in action at Aston.
To find out more about how your business can benefit from working with Aston University, please email ktp@aston.ac.uk.
The project will be overseen by Alexeis Garcia Perez, professor of digital business and society at Aston Business School. His research focuses on the challenges of data, information and knowledge management in business and society, with particular emphasis on data-driven innovation and digital transformation strategies.
Professor Garcia Perez will be joined by two colleagues from the Cyber Security Innovation (CSI) Centre: Dr Laura Di Chiacchio and Dr Asma Patel.
Dr Di Chiacchio is a cyber security lecturer at Aston Business School, whose research focuses on how awareness of cyber security relates to human factors and organisational learning. She brings expertise in managing organisational change, transformation, and alignment through her doctoral research on digital transitions and evolving organisational structures.
Dr Patel is also a lecturer in cyber security who has experience of collaborating with SMEs in implementing AI-based cyber security solutions. Her research focuses on leveraging AI and machine learning techniques to enhance cyber security measures, covering areas such as mobile network security, SOC operations, malware and incident handling, digital forensics, and privacy preservation.
About Aston University
For over a century, Aston University’s enduring purpose has been to make our world a better place through education, research and innovation, by enabling our students to succeed in work and life, and by supporting our communities to thrive economically, socially and culturally.
Aston University’s history has been intertwined with the history of Birmingham, a remarkable city that once was the heartland of the Industrial Revolution and the manufacturing powerhouse of the world.
Born out of the First Industrial Revolution, Aston University has a proud and distinct heritage dating back to our formation as the School of Metallurgy in 1875, the first UK College of Technology in 1951, gaining university status by Royal Charter in 1966, and becoming The Guardian University of the Year in 2020.
Building on our outstanding past, we are now defining our place and role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (and beyond) within a rapidly changing world.
For media inquiries in relation to this release, contact Sam Cook, Press and Communications Manager, on (+44) 7446 910063 or email: s.cook2@aston.ac.uk
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