CSIT set to tackle cybercrime and antisocial behaviour

CSIT, which will be based at Queen's University Belfast's Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology, will exploit the university's research expertise in high performance data and network security and intelligent surveillance. The centre, one of the first Innovation and Knowledge Centres (IKCs) to be created in the UK, is being funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Technology Strategy Board. Other partners include BAE Systems and Thales UK, as well as government agencies and international research institutes. Professor John McCanny, principal investigator at CSIT, believes the centre is set to become globally recognised thanks to the breadth and depth of its technological capabilities and because it represents a new international paradigm for innovation. "It is really only now that the international community is beginning to tackle cyber security in a coordinated way. Our work at CSIT is therefore of fundamental importance at this critical time in the development of the Internet. It's like being in on the ground floor at the beginning of the semiconductor industry." By bringing together a range of security related research fields and technologies under one roof, CSIT is also aiming to pioneer the convergence of network, data and physical security through the development of new technologies and systems. This work is expected to lead to significant improvements in the effectiveness of cctv technology in combating antisocial behaviour and street crime.