Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst receives $30 million

Rogers Communications Inc., the Government of Canada, the Royal Bank of Canada, and the City of Brampton have come together with Ryerson University to create the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst. Together, the public and private sector organizations are investing $30 million to help meet the demand for cybersecurity professionals in Canada and better prepare Canadians and Canadian companies to counter the threat of cyber attacks.

As the named founder, Rogers is investing $10 million for programs that educate small business leaders about cyber threats and how to address them, and to train the next generation of workers with the skills needed to advance in the cybersecurity field. Funding will also provide continual learning for the Rogers technology team to tackle new challenges in cybersecurity.

“We all hear these words all the time: 5G, artificial intelligence, the digital economy, machine learning, the Internet of Things — these are no longer notions of a Powerpoint® presentation, these are real, these are happening now,” says Joe Natale, president and chief executive officer, Rogers Communications. “We are on the cusp of major technological change and we need to invest in infrastructure and people for Canada to lead in the digital economy. Through this partnership we will build the skills and talent for the connected future.”

Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) is supporting the Catalyst as well, investing $5 million to build a more diverse and inclusive talent pool in cybersecurity. The financial institution will also create opportunities for leaders and experts to share knowledge and develop strategies, and develop new programs to upskill RBC’s technology workers for the cybersecurity jobs of tomorrow.

“We’re excited to be working with Ryerson University and the other founders, to help achieve our shared vision of building a Canadian cybersecurity innovation ecosystem that will prepare our communities, workforce, and those typically underrepresented in cybersecurity, for the future of work in this important field,” says Laurie Pezzente, senior vice-president and chief security officer, RBC.

Ten million dollars from FedDev Ontario will help deliver training and certification programming, as well as establish a cybersecurity-focused small business accelerator. Government funding will also support applied R&D by expanding partnerships between post-secondary institutions and the private sector.

Five million dollars from the City of Brampton will support all elements of the Catalyst’s programming, including the establishment of the Catalyst’s physical training centre, commercial accelerator, and simulated security operations centre — all in downtown Brampton.

“We are thrilled to have the support of our partners who recognize the major challenges of cybersecurity, but also the opportunities," says Charles Finlay, executive director, Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst. “We’re already working closely with them to roll out our programming and there is more exciting news coming soon.”

The Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst is scheduled to open its first workspace in November 2019, with programming set to begin in February and rolling out over the first half of 2020. For more information and breaking news on the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, please visit the centre’s website.