CRANE: Cyber Security Research and Networking Environment
Lead Research Organisation:
UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
Department Name: Computer Science
Abstract
Whilst cyber security has become part of 'business as usual', daily news headlines demonstrate that despite many years of intense activity, we cannot trust the systems we rely upon. New technologies promise to exacerbate such problems indefinitely. Those unwelcome imperatives raise perennial and persistent needs for research within both technical and social disciplines, and in novel combinations of .
Our ambition is to make a lasting enhancement to the pursuit of cyber security research in the UK. We highlight the distinctive features of our bid:
We will unite researchers in a new inter-disciplinary permanent learned society.
We will develop a rigorous community-led methodology and use it to identify emerging global trends and national strengths in cyber security.
We will support career development and equality of voice of diverse researchers able to understand and exploit the cross-disciplinary nature of our subject.
We will build our inclusive community regionally and nationally through Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and shared events with local areas of interest and through EDI improvement
We will provide a connection-point allowing businesses, government, and the third sector to access relevant researchers and experts nationally and internationally.
We have four objectives:
Objective 1: Help to deliver the UK National Cyber Strategy (Pillar 1: UK Cyber Ecosystem; Pillar 3: Technology Advantage).
Objective 2: Support, develop, and nurture research in cyber security within and across academic disciplines, throughout the UK, with transformative challenge from wider stakeholder groups.
Objective 3: Identify and articulate the need and opportunity for significant/game-changing new developments in cyber security.
Objective 4: Promote the development of a learned society in cyber security to enable a long-term sustainable community of research.
We will address several priorities in delivering on those objectives:
Developing Researcher Careers, ; Equality; Diversity; Inclusion
Integrating the Academic Community
Facilitating Partnerships with Business, Government, and other sectors
Promoting and Developing Regional Strengths
International knowledge exchange
Our ambition is to make a lasting enhancement to the pursuit of cyber security research in the UK. We highlight the distinctive features of our bid:
We will unite researchers in a new inter-disciplinary permanent learned society.
We will develop a rigorous community-led methodology and use it to identify emerging global trends and national strengths in cyber security.
We will support career development and equality of voice of diverse researchers able to understand and exploit the cross-disciplinary nature of our subject.
We will build our inclusive community regionally and nationally through Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and shared events with local areas of interest and through EDI improvement
We will provide a connection-point allowing businesses, government, and the third sector to access relevant researchers and experts nationally and internationally.
We have four objectives:
Objective 1: Help to deliver the UK National Cyber Strategy (Pillar 1: UK Cyber Ecosystem; Pillar 3: Technology Advantage).
Objective 2: Support, develop, and nurture research in cyber security within and across academic disciplines, throughout the UK, with transformative challenge from wider stakeholder groups.
Objective 3: Identify and articulate the need and opportunity for significant/game-changing new developments in cyber security.
Objective 4: Promote the development of a learned society in cyber security to enable a long-term sustainable community of research.
We will address several priorities in delivering on those objectives:
Developing Researcher Careers, ; Equality; Diversity; Inclusion
Integrating the Academic Community
Facilitating Partnerships with Business, Government, and other sectors
Promoting and Developing Regional Strengths
International knowledge exchange
Organisations
- UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD (Lead Research Organisation)
- Swinburne University of Technology (Project Partner)
- SCOTLANDIS (Project Partner)
- Warsaw University of Technology (Project Partner)
- CSA Cloud Security Alliance (Project Partner)
- Plexal (Project Partner)
- SBA Research (Project Partner)
- Cyber and Fraud Centre Scotland (Project Partner)
- West Midlands Cyber Resilience Centre (Project Partner)
- Manufacturing Technology Centre (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- UK Cyber Security Council (Project Partner)
- Association for Information Systems (Project Partner)
- European Cyber Conflict Research (Project Partner)
- Macquarie University (Project Partner)
- Chartered Institute of Info Security (Project Partner)
- University of Maribor (Project Partner)
- UNIVERSITY OF KENT (Project Partner)
- Information Security Forum Limited (Project Partner)
- Singapore Management University (Project Partner)
- Academic RiSC (Project Partner)
- The Business Resilience Centre (Project Partner)
- KMCC (Project Partner)
- HOME OFFICE (Project Partner)
- HP Labs (Project Partner)
- Tech Works (Project Partner)
- CYBERNORTH CIC (Project Partner)
- Inria Nancy - Grand Est (Project Partner)
- CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY (Project Partner)
- University of Wolverhampton (Project Partner)
- EMiC Network (Project Partner)
- CODEBASE LTD (Project Partner)
- SEMI Europe (Project Partner)
- ORBIT RRI LIMITED (Project Partner)
- BT plc (Project Partner)
- SudParis Telecom (Project Partner)
- UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER (Project Partner)
- UNIVERSITY OF GREENWICH (Project Partner)
- CYSTEL LIMITED (Project Partner)
- Cybsafe Limited (Project Partner)
- Cyprus University of Technology (Project Partner)
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Project Partner)
- Carnegie Mellon University (Project Partner)
- University of Luxembourg (Project Partner)
- Worshipful Company of IT Professionals (Project Partner)
- NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY (Project Partner)
- KING'S COLLEGE LONDON (Project Partner)
- CSE Connect (Project Partner)
- DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY (Project Partner)
- SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT (Project Partner)
- South West Grid for Learning (Project Partner)
- OFCOM (Project Partner)
- Criminal Use of Information Hiding (Project Partner)
- Royal United Services Institute (Project Partner)
- Pinsent Masons LLP (Project Partner)
- Edith Cowan University (Project Partner)
| Description | AMLUCS conference stand |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | CRANE exhibition stand at AMLUCs 2025 conference to raise awareness of the newly launched network among the industry audiences present. Generated mailing list registrations and requests for further details as to how to engage. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | CRANE Launch Webinar |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Launch webinar for the CRANE Network introducing the network and its objectives and priorities, featuring a Keynote speech from NCSC CTO providing sector context. Online event was attended by 167 participants and generated mailing list registrations and enquiries regarding how to further engage with the network. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWozHxYi-3c&t=1s |
| Description | CRANE Website |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The CRANE website was launched at the outset of the project to raise awareness of the Network and share information about upcoming activities, including events, funding calls, and special interest groups. It provides clear guidance on how to join both the Network and its specialist groups. Members receive a monthly newsletter, which is also published on the website. The newsletter highlights forthcoming activities and shares news, developments, and updates from the wider cyber security research community. As of February 2026 there are 138 CRANE members (following the launch of formal membership in January 2026), alongside a wider mailing list of 556 individuals. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025,2026 |
| URL | https://www.crane.ac.uk/crane/ |
| Description | CyberUK 2025 Stand |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | CRANE exhibition stand at CyberUK 2025 to raise awareness of the newly launched network among the industry, public sector and academic audiences present. Generated mailing list registrations and requests for further details as to how to engage. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | IoTSF Conference Stand |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | CRANE exhibition stand at IoTSF 2025 conference to raise awareness of the newly launched network among the industry audiences present. Generated mailing list registrations and requests for further details as to how to engage. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | RITICS Fest Presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Presentation given to 40-50 participants at RITICS Fest, a workshop series hosted by The Research Institute in Trustworthy Inter-Connected Cyber-Physical Systems (RITICS). The presentation was an introduction to CRANE summarising its objectives and how audience members could engage with future activities. Supported raising awareness of the Network among the industry, public sector and academic audience present. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |