Yesterday marked the official start of Cyber Local: Cyber First Aid – Dorset, a project funded by Innovate UK and delivered in partnership with Dorset Chamber, Dorset Mind, Cybexer, Bournemouth University, and Cyber Innovations Ltd. As the CEO of Cyber Innovations, I was delighted to welcome such a diverse and skilled group to our first meeting.
Attendees included Ian Girling (Dorset Chamber), Bob Snarey (Dorset Mind), Daz Preuss and Mansel Thewlis (Cybexer), and industry experts Fin Morgan and Sarah Dymott (Bournemouth University). We were also joined by Professor Vasilis Katos, my Co-Director at Cyber Innovations, and Dr Jane Henriksen-Bulmer, representing Bournemouth University. Together, we explored the project’s aims, scope, and the opportunities it creates for Dorset businesses, charities, and communities.
Why Cyber First Aid, Why Dorset?
The project builds on years of research and innovation in cyber resilience training. Traditional cyber awareness programmes often focus solely on technical aspects, but our approach is different. Cyber First Aid (CFA) integrates the Human Layer Kill Chain (HLKC) and the concept of Human Indicators of Compromise (HIoCs). This ensures that resilience is not just about systems and firewalls but also about supporting the people at the heart of every organisation. Dorset, with its dynamic mix of SMEs, charities, and educational institutions, provides the perfect testbed for piloting and refining this model.
What This Means for Dorset
Through the Cyber Local project, we will:
- Deliver CFA taster sessions to local organisations, gathering valuable pre- and post-training data to assess impact.
- Provide Dorset Mind and Dorset Chamber with dedicated versions of the national CFA questionnaire, creating insights into local workforce resilience.
- Offer pilot access to the CFA Toolkit – a resource hub of playbooks, templates, and guidance – designed to support ongoing learning and organisational resilience.
A Collaborative Start
What excites me most is how complementary the skills of our partners are. Dorset Chamber brings unparalleled access to the business community. Dorset Mind provides essential expertise in mental health and wellbeing. Cybexer brings international experience in cyber defence technology. Bournemouth University contributes world-class research and academic rigour. And Cyber Innovations offers the applied training models, game-based learning, and commercialisation drive to bring it all together.
Looking Ahead
This is only the beginning. Together, we aim to demonstrate a model of cyber resilience that places equal weight on technology, process, and people. By focusing on Dorset, we hope to create something replicable that can benefit communities across the UK and beyond.
Many thanks to Innovate UK for funding this project, and to the CyberASAP programme for laying the groundwork that made this collaboration possible.
