• 4 levels of support available - catering for businesses of all sizes
• CyberGrowth funded part of national Cyber Local programme
• East Midlands SMEs invited to access support to bolster cyber resilience

[LEICESTER, 110925] Applications are now open for a £150,000 programme offering practical support to boost the cyber resilience of regional businesses.

East Midlands CyberGrowth is offering businesses fully-funded, practical support to improve how they manage cyber risk, train staff, and futureproof their operations.

Led by Dr Ismini Vasileiou, founder and director of the East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster and Associate Professor at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU), East Midlands CyberGrowth arrives at a critical time. Recent high-profile hacks on high street brands have combined with the UK Government making cyber security a central thread of its industrial planning.

East Midlands CyberGrowth is itself funded through the Cyber Local scheme, part of the Government’s Plan for Change work to kickstart economic growth and ensure good jobs, skills and growth nationwide. As such, East Midlands CyberGrowth’s overarching aim is to make cyber resilience a core part of how organisations think, operate and grow.

Dr Vasileiou said: “The recent wave of high profile cyber attacks on UK businesses shows that even large companies can fall victim to hackers. East Midlands CyberGrowth will help local businesses reduce risk of becoming the next casualty.

“Courses are designed to meet businesses where they are - regardless of whether they have an existing cyber security plan. We can help SMEs and nonprofits increase resilience and embed cyber security in their operations.”

The fully-funded, in-person East Midlands CyberGrowth programme will help 30 regional SMEs boost their digital resilience. It features 4 separate workstreams - meaning all levels of knowhow are covered:

• Cyber Resilience Incubator. 15 businesses will gain a structured introduction to building organisational resilience - with particular focus on core governance and strategy.

• Cyber Resilience Accelerator. 10 businesses will attend 4 focussed workshops, gaining expert support to develop internal cyber workforce plans and reskill staff into cyber security roles.

• Cyber Resilience Enterprise. 5 businesses will be allocated specialist researchers from De Montfort University, for 100 hours of funded internship to help develop and trial new cyber security initiatives.

The programme will also organise the East Midlands Cyber Resilience Summit which will see 100+ business come together with leading speakers and delegates for a day-long cyber security conference hosted at De Montfort University Leicester in February 2026. 

Courses start in October. Learn more and apply now at www.emcsc.co.uk/cybergrowth

Jason Senior / De Montfort University

About East Midlands CyberGrowth 

East Midlands CyberGrowth is a £150,000 fully-funded programme supporting businesses embed cyber security into their operations. Led by Dr Ismini Vasileiou, founder and director of the East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster and Associate Professor at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU), the programme is funded through the Cyber Local scheme, part of the Government’s Plan for Change work to kickstart economic growth and ensure good jobs, skills and growth nationwide.The programme will help 30 regional SMEs boost their digital resilience.

About EMCSC

East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster CIC supports effective use of cyber security as a means of increasing regional economic growth. Founded in Leicester in 2023, it creates opportunities for networking, knowledge exchange, sharing of best practice and opportunities. EMCSC works across public and private sectors, as well as academia, promoting business cyber-resilience and cyber security careers throughout the East Midlands. Its partners include UKC3 and the Cyber Resilience Centre for the East Midlands.

About Dr Ismini Vasileiou

EMCSC was founded by Dr Ismini Vasileiou. Dr Vasileiou is Associate Professor in Information Systems (FBCS, FCIIS, PFHEA) at De Montfort University Leicester. Dr Vasileiou has extensive leadership experience in Computer Science and has led a range of prestigious institutional bids. Her research interests include Social Engineering, Security Education, Learning Analytics and technology-supported learning. She is also Director and Co-Chair of UKC3.