Edinburgh Napier University and mobile cybersecurity firm Approov have agreed a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) aimed at improving smartphone security.
The partnership with the Edinburgh-based company will include the recruitment of two cyber security researchers, co-funded by Innovate UK.
Over 30 months, Approov and the university will work together to create new defence mechanisms and an offensive test bed, known in cyber security as “blue team” and “red team” work.
The project received the highest rating in Innovate UK’s assessment for this funding round. It will involve the Scottish Centre of Excellence in Digital Trust and Distributed Ledger Technology, which is hosted by Edinburgh Napier.
The university has been recognised by the National Cyber Security Centre and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology as an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education, and has been the starting point for several cybersecurity spinout companies.
Professor Bill Buchanan OBE, academic lead of the project and director of the Scottish Centre of Excellence in Digital Trust, said: “Scotland has many great cybersecurity companies, and, for me, Approov is one of the best. They have an internationally leading product range for mobile device security and work with many leading companies around the world.
“This partnership will allow us to advance research and innovation around cryptography and digital trust, and which will better protect users.
“What is truly exciting is the opportunity to create new methods, along with creating a test bed to fully test these. This type of approach becomes ever more important in an era of GenAI breaking software systems.”
The two researchers will be recruited as specialist associates in complementary blue team and red team roles.
Dr Anne-Marie Haughey, East of Scotland KTP Centre Manager, said the project would “create a unique environment where new defensive technologies are continually challenged and improved through adversarial testing”.
She added: “Achieving the highest score in this funding round is a tremendous endorsement of both the vision of Approov and the strength of the partnership with Edinburgh Napier University.
“By combining world-leading academic research with a highly innovative and ambitious technology company, the partnership will not only deliver new products and services but also establish long-term capability that will support growth, competitiveness and future innovation.”
Jae Hossell, Approov’s chief technology officer, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Edinburgh Napier University for this Knowledge Transfer Partnership.
“By combining our industry expertise with their world-class cybersecurity researchers, we are creating a unique environment to stress-test our software.
“This ensures Approov continues to deliver the highest standard of mobile security to our customers worldwide.”
