Built by the community, for the community, the program will coordinate and align national initiatives to strengthen sector’s cybersecurity capacity
[Ottawa, ON]
CANARIE announced today the launch of the Cybersecurity Initiatives Program (CIP), which will fund priority initiatives across Canada’s research and education sector. The initiatives will be delivered to eligible organizations through the provincial and territorial partners in Canada’s National Research and Education Network (NREN), in which CANARIE is the federal partner.
In response to the need identified by Canada’s research and education community for national coordination and alignment of cybersecurity efforts, the Government of Canada (through Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada) is funding CANARIE to invest in initiatives that will strengthen the sector with advanced technologies, improved processes, and broadened expertise.
Eligible organizations that participate in this program will access funded initiatives at no cost. The first three initiatives prioritized for funding are:
- CIRA DNS Firewall – December 2020
- CanSSOC Threat Feed – Early 2021
- Intrusion Detection System (Join the JSP) – Spring 2021
All initiatives funded through the CIP are intended to integrate with each other to strengthen cybersecurity at the organization level, and in turn the overall security of the entire sector. Given their ongoing engagement with member organizations in their jurisdictions, CANARIE’s NREN Partners play a critical role in deploying funded initiatives.
Program Evolution and Governance
From its guiding principles to prioritizing initiatives and delivering them to individual organizations, each aspect of this program has been guided and defined through extensive consultations with cybersecurity experts and leaders from across Canada’s research and education community, represented by the multi-stakeholder Joint Cybersecurity Strategy Working Group and the Cybersecurity Advisory Committee (CAC).
This program is part of a broader strategy with CANARIE’s national and international partners, including NDRIO, to align to a common approach for securing the research and education sector. With this approach, all regional, national, and global cybersecurity programs available to the sector will be searchable and accessible through a central website and brand identity. More details about this new site and brand will be announced in early 2021.
How to Participate
If your organization is eligible to participate in the CIP, the NREN Partner in your province or territory will contact you with a link to the program’s participation form. If you have questions about your organization’s eligibility, please contact your local NREN Partner.
Learn More at Upcoming Webinars
To learn more about this program and how your organization can participate and benefit, register for the webinar that best suits your interests and schedule:
The Cybersecurity Initiatives Program: National Alignment for Local Impact
Who should attend: VPs responsible for Finance and Administration, Executive Directors, Public Policy Analysts, provincial and territorial government representatives, operators of provincial digital research infrastructure, journalists, and others interested in the research and education security landscape
The Cybersecurity Initiatives Program: What it Could Mean for Your Organization
Who should attend: CIOs, CISOs, Directors of IT and/or cybersecurity professionals at Canadian R&E organizations
To read more about this program and view a list of FAQs, please visit: canarie.ca/cybersecurity
For more information, please contact:
Ela Yazdani
Director of Communications
CANARIE
(613) 943-5432
ela.yazdani@canarie.ca
About CANARIE
CANARIE connects Canadians to each other and to the world. Our programs equip Canadian researchers, students, and startups to excel on the global stage.
Together with our thirteen provincial and territorial partners, we form Canada’s National Research and Education Network (NREN). This ultra-high-speed network connects Canada’s researchers, educators, and innovators to each other and to global data, technology, and colleagues.
Beyond the network, we fund and promote the development of software for research and national efforts to manage data generated from research. To strengthen the security of Canada’s research and education sector, we collaborate with our partners in the NREN, government, academia, and the private sector to fund, implement, and support cybersecurity initiatives. We also provide identity management services to the academic community and boost Canada’s startups with cloud resources and expertise in emerging technologies.
Established in 1993, we are a non-profit corporation, with most of our funding provided by the Government of Canada.