Israeli cyber security firms in London next week to build UK links

A dozen Israeli companies specialising in cyber security are to visit the UK next week, as part of an initiative to link British and Israeli firms.

A series of events are being planned from Monday, with British financial firms such as Aviva Insurance and Royal Bank of Scotland among those interested in what the 12 Israeli companies can offer.

The trade exchange is being part-hosted by telecoms giant BT and facilitated by the UK Israel Tech Hub, an arm of the British Embassy in Tel Aviv, which seeks to match Israeli start-ups to bigger UK companies seeking Israeli technological know-how.

The Hub said the “immersive three-day visit” would offer “vast networking, business and investment opportunities and access to top industry leaders”. The booming UK cyber security sector grew from £17.6 billion in 2014 to almost £22 billion in 2015.

Some of the visiting companies have received European Union grant-funding through the Horizon 2020 programme, and use cutting-edge cryptography to protect online access and content.

Attending next week’s TeXchange trade mission will be representatives from the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre, part of GCHQ. NCSC personnel are charged with protecting the country’s critical services from cyber-attacks, managing major incidents and improving the online security of UK infrastructure.