Regional and National Initiative Provides R&D Space
Thales announced on 21 April it is to establish a new National Digital Excellence Centre (NDEC) at Fredericton’s Knowledge Park in Canada, to strengthen its cybersecurity capabilities in industrial systems.
This will be the second digital hub of the Group, the first being the NDEC in Ebbw Vale, Wales. NDECs are R&D facilities that enable small businesses to test and develop digital transformation projects alongside larger enterprises: they places of innovation to develop major technological breakthroughs. The Fredericton NDEC is being established in partnership with the University of New Brunswick’s McKenna Institute and local economic development agency Ignite, regional and national governmental support. The project will include the NDEC Canada and Thales’ own Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC) for North America. It will be a hub of digital excellence, development and education, connecting New Brunswick to technology centres everywhere, stimulating growth in Atlantic Canada’s technology sector, and boosting economic benefits in the region.
“Through this initiative, Thales will not only create value for its partners and customers, but also grow its Atlantic workforce; increase opportunities for learning and innovation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) through numerous student opportunities and introduce a new cyber range to support access and development of advanced cybersecurity capabilities. Thales’ successful experience in driving these public-private synergy projects is leading the Group to replicate these innovation-driven initiatives to accelerate business transformation and strengthen the security of their facilities,” commented Pierre-Yves Jolivet, VP Cyber Defence Solutions at Thales.
The resulting innovation infrastructure will contribute to helping cities and critical infrastructures become safer and smarter – securing markets, protecting data and privacy, and keeping people safe on critical missions, while staying a step ahead of digital threats. Thales already has experience with these initiatives based on synergies and shared learning and innovation. In Wales, the NDEC is a cornerstone of Thales’ cyber capabilities within the UK, and aims to support the Welsh government’s programme of digital investment and transformation by providing support, training and project space to large organisations, SMEs and individuals, research and development opportunities, and by helping to win work-share within Wales.
