ST Electronics and SUTD launch S$44.3M Cyber Security Laboratory

13 May 2016

Joint initiative as part of Corporate Laboratory@University Scheme
by the National Research Foundation

Singapore, 13 May 2016 – Singapore Technologies Electronics Limited (ST Electronics) and Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) today announced the set-up of the ST Electronics-SUTD Cyber Security Laboratory that aims to advance new frontiers in cyber security technologies and build next generation solutions and products to address both current and future cyber security challenges.
 
The ST Electronics-SUTD Cyber Security Laboratory was officially launched today by Guest-of-Honour Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-charge of Cyber Security. The S$44.3m joint laboratory is supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) Singapore under its Corporate Laboratory@University Scheme, which supports the setting up of key corporate laboratories via public-private partnerships. It is the first corporate laboratory under this scheme to focus on cyber security.
 
The joint laboratory is positioned to become a leading research centre for cyber security, leveraging ST Electronics’ in-depth cyber security expertise and industry knowledge together with SUTD’s academic know-how and multi-disciplinary effort in research and development. It will identify current and future cyber solutions required by the industry, develop cutting-edge technologies, provide proof of concepts and testbeds for the next generation of cyber security products and solutions. This will support the effective translation of research into solutions that have direct relevance in addressing our national needs (and meeting global challenges), thereby creating value for the industry in Singapore.
 
The collaboration aims to build indigenous capability in cyber security in Singapore by creating a platform for professors and students to conduct research and development, and providing future career opportunities in this niche specialty. This will increase the cyber security talent pool and professionals available to support Singapore’s Smart Nation Initiative.
 
“The ST Electronics-SUTD Cyber Security Laboratory brings together Singapore’s expert cyber security capabilities under one roof. We have a shared vision of accelerating the pace of development of innovative indigenous technologies that have cross-sector applications which address current as well as future cyber security challenges,” said Mr Lee Fook Sun, Deputy CEO & President, Defence Business of ST Engineering and President of ST Electronics.
 
“SUTD’s collaboration with ST Electronics comes at an opportune time, as cyber security challenges become increasingly sophisticated. The joint corporate laboratory will not only enable us to testbed diverse cyber attacks in ‘real world’ environments and design innovative cyber security solutions, but also provide relevant training that will boost Singapore’s pool of cyber security talents – a multi-pronged approach to boost our society’s cyber security capabilities through design, technology and education,” said Professor Thomas Magnanti, President, SUTD.
 
“The Corporate Laboratory@University Scheme is seeing good progress in its efforts to strengthen Singapore’s innovation system by encouraging public-private research and development collaboration between universities and established companies.  NRF will continue to support such collaborations that create a positive impact in using research to build up the innovation capacity of our companies,” said Professor Low Teck Seng, CEO, NRF.   
 
For a start, the main research and development areas of the ST Electronics-SUTD Cyber Security Laboratory have been identified and will include three innovation areas:  

• Cyber Security Big-data Analytics,
• Developing Trusted Monitoring and Mitigating Techniques, and
• Developing innovative methods for detecting malicious and deceived insiders in an organisation.

 
With the new corporate laboratory, ST Electronics is able to bring both its cyber security expertise and in-depth domain knowledge in: (1) design, development and commercialisation of advanced cyber security products, (2) design, build and operate Cyber Security Operations Centres with collected use cases and research data for testbeds and (3) security solution integration and services.
 
SUTD will contribute its strong academic research, development and technology exploitation experiences and expertise in cyber security as well as cyber-physical security testbeds for the joint laboratory. SUTD has developed a rich research programme in applied cyber security with a strong focus on the design of secure and safe public infrastructure, and the Internet of Things. This is timely as Singapore moves towards becoming one of the world’s smartest cities. Through the intense collaboration between faculty and research staff, both SUTD and ST Electronics would stand to benefit from this vibrant research program.
 
The joint laboratory is located at the new state-of-the-art SUTD campus at Changi, occupying 400 square metre of research and office space. At full-capacity, the laboratory will have around 60 cyber security researchers from SUTD and ST Electronics.
 
ST Electronics to Support the Cyber Security Associates and Technologists (CSAT) Programme
 
In addition to building strong core capabilities in cyber security through research and development, ST Electronics also supports the Cyber Security Associates and Technologists (CSAT) Programme led by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA). This programme trains fresh and up-skills mid-career ICT individuals to attain the necessary practical skills needed for cyber security roles and positions.
 
“To develop a vibrant cyber security ecosystem, it needs to be supported by a pool of competent professionals. Through the CSAT Programme, we hope to increase and nurture a strong pool of cyber security professionals. Trainees will be up-skilled through on-the-job training programmes, courses, and attachments. With ST Electronics onboard as a CSAT training partner, we hope to encourage more fresh and mid-career ICT professionals to enter the cyber security profession,” said Mr David Koh, Chief Executive of the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore.