Queen's University Belfast is proud to announce its recognition as an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education (ACE-CSE) with a prestigious ‘Gold Award’ by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

This esteemed accolade emphasises Queen’s commitment to delivering world-class cyber security education and fostering a culture of cyber security awareness across all sectors of the university and the wider community. Queen’s is one of only nine UK universities to hold both the ACE-CSE and the Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research (ACE-CSR) awards.

Queen’s diverse and dedicated ACE-CSE team, led by Dr Sandra Scott-Hayward from the School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EEECS), comprises staff from each Queen’s Faculty from both academic and professional services teams. Together, this team is advancing Queen’s comprehensive cyber security strategy, enhancing awareness and knowledge across all educational pathways, operational areas, and extending outreach to the broader community.

The NCSC's ACEs-CSE programme builds upon the university’s existing NCSC-certified Master’s degree in Applied Cyber Security, offering a platform for institutions to showcase a wider commitment to cyber security excellence. To achieve this recognition, Queen’s underwent a rigorous assessment process, demonstrating to independent assessors that it is developing an influential and growing community of cyber security educators, shaping and supporting cyber security education initiatives, engaging proactively with industry, government, educators, and students.

Dr Sandra Scott-Hayward, Queen’s ACE-CSE Director, commented:

“We are delighted to receive this ACE-CSE recognition, building on our ACE-CSE Silver Award in 2020 and highlighting the strength of cyber security education and awareness efforts right across Queen’s. The multi-disciplinary ACE-CSE team has collaborated to develop and roll out immersive cyber security training for all students, delivered staff activities to highlight cyber security best practices, and increased our outreach to NI schools and colleges with the CyberFirst programme. The value of this and all our contributions to the cyber security education agenda is evidenced with the ACE-CSE Gold Award.

“We have exciting plans to further develop awareness and knowledge of cyber security within and beyond Queen’s, which we believe is fundamental to addressing the societal challenge of cyber security.”

Chris Ensor, NCSC Deputy Director for Cyber Growth, said:

“I am delighted we can recognise Queen’s University Belfast as an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education. The award is testament to the dedication of academics, support staff and senior management who have ensured that cyber security remains high on the university’s agenda. We very much look forward to working with them over the coming years and encourage other universities to work towards achieving similar recognition in the future.”

This recognition by NCSC and DSIT positions Queen's as a leading institution in cyber security education, committed to shaping the future of the field and ensuring that students, staff, and the community are well-equipped to navigate the increasingly complex digital landscape.