DarkMatter presents UAE cybersecurity research award initiative

DarkMatter Group, the region's first and only fully integrated digital and cyber transformation firm, has announced the UAE Cybersecurity Research Award (CRA) initiative – an award focused on generating ideas that will safeguard the world's smart cities against the cybersecurity threats of tomorrow.

In conjunction with strategic partner, Khalifa University, DarkMatter Group is inviting university students, graduate research assistants, researchers, and faculty from both local and international institutions to present ideas that could potentially advance the field of cybersecurity in the era of smart and digital cities.

"The future of our nation depends heavily on innovation and research in the space of digital and cyber transformation," said Dr Shreekant Thakkar, Chief Scientist, Advanced Research of DarkMatter Group.

"With the unveiling of the UAE Cybersecurity Research Award, we are one step closer towards uncovering breakthrough solutions that will futureproof our connected, digitalized cities. At DarkMatter Group we encourage research and are proud to be fostering a collaborative ecosystem that will leverage the skills and expertise of private, public, and academic entities in a bid to create a safer, more secure society for all."

The Initiative Milestones

The pre-proposal stage of the UAE CRA initiative is currently open to applicants, with submissions closing on August 30 2019. Selected applicants will then be invited to present their ideas to the UAE CRA stakeholders and committee who will assess the impact of contestant's presentations.

Following this, shortlisted teams will be invited to submit full proposals in February 2020. All awards will be selected by a rigorous, three-stage merit review process, and announced in May 2020.

To identify which projects to support, the UAE CRA committee will rely on a merit review process that incorporates consideration of both the technical aspects of a proposed project and its potential to contribute more broadly to the security of smart cities.

Contestants of the UAE CRA will showcase their poster talks for the committee to assess at HITB⁺CyberWeek UAE 2019, the new flagship event of Hack In The Box (HITB), taking place in Abu Dhabi from October 12-17.