Swansea University is launching a £2m research initiative with the Wales-based National Data Exploitation Centre (NDEC), part of global technology leader Thales, to strengthen the cyber resilience of interconnected systems, including those in transport.
Backed by £1m in funding from the EPSRC Prosperity Partnership part of UK Research and Innovation, the three-year project — Engineering for Cyber Resilience: Through-Life Modelling and Analysis (ENCYRCLE) — will focus on strengthening cybersecurity in transport, manufacturing, and energy infrastructure.
As AI and hyper-connectivity drive rapid technological change, ensuring system safety and security has become a critical challenge. ENCYRCLE will develop innovative solutions to enhance the security of connected and automated technologies throughout their lifecycle.
With AI and hyper-connectivity advancing rapidly, keeping systems safe and secure is more important than ever. ENCYRCLE aims to develop practical solutions that protect automated and connected technologies throughout their lifespan. The project is led by Professor Siraj Shaikh, who leads the Systems Security Group (SSG) at Swansea, along with Professor Markus Roggenbach and Dr Trang Doan.
The project’s key goals include:
- Creating real-world methods to measure cyber resilience.
- Improving engineering approaches for secure system design.
- Strengthening operational security.
- Developing a solid framework for system analysis.
- Applying scalable security measures to protect future technologies.
By enhancing the security of connected systems, this research will help maintain public trust, prevent economic losses from cyberattacks, and support industries that rely on secure operations. Stronger cybersecurity will also contribute to sustainability by reducing system disruptions.
A key outcome of the project will be a dedicated research lab, featuring specialised tools developed through ENCYRCLE. This facility will bring together researchers and industry experts to drive innovation in cyber resilience.
Professor Siraj Shaikh, Lead for ENCYRCLE, said: “This is an exciting initiative that is going to fundamentally change how cyber resilience is engineering across cyber-physical and critical systems in a number of sectors. The partnership between Swansea and Thales would serve to put this part of Wales at the global forefront of the science and engineering of cyber resilience.”
Peter Davies, Director -Security Concepts at Thales, said: “The ENCYRCLE project is critical in continuing to build on the body of knowledge and production readiness in the use of AI and machine learning in the context of cyber-attacks on distributed complex systems that must also be trustworthy. The project collaboration between Swansea University and Thales, building on the enduring relationship in the area of cyber resilience, will be critical in building an enduring nucleus of world class and leading-edge skills in the use of AI in resilient and trustworthy mission critical systems that industry and society in general increasingly relies on.”