China’s Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) have recently jointly announced a project to develop 4 to 6 world-renowned cybersecurity institutes over the next 10 years. Local universities with existing institutes related to cybersecurity have been invited to apply to participate in this project, with participants to be decided based on factors such as teaching staff, student enrolment scale and facilities.

The announcement sets out nine major goals for the institutes, including training network security professionals, carrying out relevant academic research, and cooperating with companies and government departments. One of these nine goals focuses on international cooperation, calling for institutes to actively cooperate with overseas universities, including supporting overseas training for key academic staff as well as cooperation in academic research.

Analysis by Kevin Prest and Cathy He:

Cybersecurity has been set out as one of the Chinese government’s priorities, and President Xi Jinping has spoken of his intention to strengthen China’s cybersecurity capabilities. However, despite strong demand, there is a lack of both qualified instructors and skilled professionals in this field, which these institutes aim to address.

Support for these institutes will increase the potential for UK institutions with relevant strengths to partner with Chinese universities. In particular, there are opportunities to provide training to Chinese teaching staff as well as industry professionals, as well as opportunities for joint research and technology exchange. More broadly, the project illustrates the importance the MoE places on cybersecurity in the areas of both teaching and research, and there are already strong opportunities to cooperate with Chinese universities here even outside of the institutions chosen for support under this project.

Sources:

Global Times, China to build world-class cyber security schools within 10 years: http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1061480.shtml  

MoE Announcement with more details: http://www.moe.edu.cn/srcsite/A16/s3342/201708/t20170815_311176.html (in Chinese)