TMU’s Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst receives $16 million in additional funding
Many people were present this week to celebrate the 5th anniversary of TMU’s Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst. From left: Adam Evans (Senior Vice-President & CISO, RBC), Councillor Gurpartap Singh Toor (Brampton City Council), Mohamed Lachemi (President and Vice-Chancellor, TMU), Marilena Danelon (Director of Customer Success, Protexxa), Fadwa Mohanna (CEO & Founder, One37), Steven Liss (Vice President, Research and Innovation, TMU & Chair of the Board of Directors, Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst), Charles Finlay (Founding Executive Director, Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst), and Navdeep Bains (Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Rogers Communications). Photo credit: Jae Yang
The Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst (the Catalyst) at TMU is celebrating its fifth anniversary as a major hub for training, innovation and collaboration in cybersecurity. On Monday at their anniversary event, they announced renewed investments from their founding partners, Rogers Communications and RBC. Rogers Communications is committing $15 million in funding and RBC is committing $1 million.
“Rogers is proud to renew our founding partnership with the Catalyst, to continue advancing critical cybersecurity skills and talent, as part of our commitment to investing in Canada’s economic development.” said Greg Murray, senior vice-president, Information Security, Rogers Communications Inc., of the renewed investment.
The additional funding from Rogers and RBC will support all aspects of the Catalyst’s work, including its workforce training programs, cyber innovation and research. Rogers will invest $15 million over five years, while RBC is committing $1 million to reinforce its support.
“Having a highly trained cyber workforce is critical to Canada’s success,” said Adam Evans, chief information security officer at RBC. "The Catalyst program is a giant step in the right direction. I’m thrilled to be a part of this initiative and of RBC’s commitment.”
“This new funding underscores the shared vision from both companies of driving Canadian leadership in cybersecurity,” said Charles Finlay, the Catalyst's founding executive director.
Five years of impact in the cybersecurity sector
In 2018, the Catalyst embarked on a journey to help foster a world-class cybersecurity sector in Canada; over the past five years the Catalyst has empowered over 7,000 individuals and 500 organizations across the country through its pioneering cybersecurity programs and initiatives.
“From its launch just five years ago, and thanks to a growing community of support, the Catalyst has become a dynamic force in the Canadian cybersecurity ecosystem,” said Finlay. “We will continue to play a pivotal role in building a diverse and inclusive future for cybersecurity, tackle the new challenges posed by the likes of AI and quantum computing, and create a cyber-resilient future for all Canadians.”
Through funding from their founding partners - Rogers Communications, the Government of Canada, RBC and the City of Brampton - and with the support of its program partners – the Government of Ontario, Mastercard Canada, Public Safety Canada and Torys LLP - the Catalyst has, since its inception, raised over $56 million towards its mission of empowering individuals and organizations to seize the opportunities and tackle the challenges of cybersecurity.
Steven N. Liss, who is chair of Catalyst’s board of directors, and vice-president of research and innovation at TMU, says that the core of the Catalyst’s work is bringing together key stakeholders in the private, public and academic sectors to enable a number of different opportunities like increasing capacity, developing pathways to accelerated training and identifying new ideas for innovation to address critical changes in cybersecurity.
“None of that would have been possible these last five years without the vision and generosity of our partners,” he said.
For more information on the Catalyst’s impact, visit their website (external link) .