Work reaches milestone on £9m cyber security centre

Work on a £9m cyber security centre in Hereford has reached a construction milestone.Building contractor Speller Metcalfe has now reached the highest point of the new building, based on Skylon Park, Hereford Enterprise Zone.The new building is a joint venture between the University of Wolverhampton and Herefordshire Council, part-funded by the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).The new building has been designed by Birmingham-based Associated Architects and the likes of subcontractors Folbig Fabrications, Hereford Asbestos Services, Herefordshire Council Building Control and Quickskip are involved.The 21,527 sq ft building will provide significant resources for research and development across three cyber laboratories, advanced training facilities as part of the University of Wolverhampton’s Cyber Research Institute (WCRI) and additional business space for up to 16 cyber companies.The aim of the centre is to tackle the growing threat of cyber security and the shared facilities will allow private sector businesses to benefit from the university’s networks and expertise as well as make use of the centre’s specialist training rooms and laboratory spaces.Almost 200 jobs are set to be created when the centre opens in the autumn.