Academic Centres of Excellence in Cyber Security Education (ACEs-CSE)
Future ACE-CSE calls.
Following the Governments announcement of £187m to fund the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s (DSIT) Tech First programme, we have paused the NCSC’s Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education (ACE-CSE) calls.
We apologise to those for whom this is disappointing news, but in light of the Government’s sizeable commitment to DSIT’s new TechFirst programme which will replace CyberFirst, NCSC Certified degrees and ACEs-CSE, we will be evaluating how the scheme will operate alongside the new TechFirst offering.
As DSIT’s plans evolve they will reach out to this community and share updates as they become available. We would be delighted to see you engaging in the TechFirst ‘TechYouth’, ‘TechGrad’, ‘TechExpert’ and ‘TechLocal’ schemes.
The NCSC's Academic Centres of Excellence in Cyber Security Education (ACEs-CSE) programme builds on our existing degree certification programme, offering universities a way to demonstrate a broader commitment to excellence in cyber security.
Any institution applying must currently have an NCSC-certified degree, as this is the first step towards demonstrating excellence. All the other requirements are in the call document, but in summary applicants will need to demonstrate:
- support from the university’s senior management
- a degree in computing at undergraduate and/or postgraduate level
- a strong, well-qualified teaching/delivery team
- a coherent and achievable strategy for development
- teaching of cyber security across the university
- a role in ensuring the cyber security of the university’s computing infrastructure
- external engagement and outreach
Successful applicants will receive a Gold or Silver award, based on the extent to which they demonstrate they have met the requirements. A list of current award holders can be found on the ACE-CSE Gold and Silver awards page.
