THE UNIVERSITY of Southampton is set to share thousands of pounds in funding to offer students help in protecting themselves against cyber attacks.

City students will be offered the chance to learn skills while studying at university as part of a £500,000 funding boost to help young people in the UK fight the online crime.

Southampton is one of eight universities to receive the funding from the Higher Education Academy (HEA), working with the Department for Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS), to develop projects that will help improve the skills of graduates, address the shortage of cyber security skills and future proof the country’s IT sector making it more resilient to cyber-attacks.

The Southampton project ‘Enhancing Campus Cyber Security through Constructivist Student Learning’ will receive more than £53,000.

It will investigate how universities can benefit from collaboration between external industrial cyber security experts and their own multi-disciplinary staff and students.

Project leader Dr Federica Paci, lecturer in cyber security in electronics and computer science at the university, said: “We will analyse how industrial cyber security best practices can be translated to more open campus environments, where, for example, lecturers commonly use their own preferred devices and services, to produce learning materials and improved institutional practices.

“Another perspective will explore how the student learning experience and university’s security posture can be enhanced through activities including supervised penetration tests of university systems and establishing an appropriate responsible disclosure policy.”

The project has been launched this month and will be based in the University’s Cyber Security Academy (CSA). The CSA is a partnership between the University and computer industry and government partners to provide a focal point for cyber security research, education and outreach.

Professor Vladimiro Sassone, director of the CSA, said: “Engaging with students to determine methods to harness their interest and desire to learn practical cyber security, through controlled penetration and security posture testing, and the establishment of appropriate responsible disclosure policies is one of the distinguishing features of the Academy.”

Digital Economy Minister Ed Vaizey, pictured, added: “Protecting the UK in cyber space is a top priority, which is why the government recently announced £1.9 billion funding for cyber security and an ambitious new skills programme." The grants we’re announcing today will enable Universities to develop high quality, innovative teaching and learning, and ensure we have skilled people to address future cyber security challenges.”

The work is funded from the government’s five-year, £860m National Cyber Security Programme to protect and promote the UK in cyber space.