I’ve known for a while but now it is official. This week I came by an email which said that: ‘After four years of supporting the growth of the UK’s cyber clusters, UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration (UKC3) is preparing to close its central operations in March 2026.’
I was there at the beginning, long before it became an actual company, perhaps two years before. A group was set up, with the support of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport at the time (DSIT now), comprising five members of the cyber security industry and me. Everyone else already had some involvement in the trade, running or having run their own cyber companies.
Each was now involved in the development of a cyber security cluster in their region and that is where I came in. I was working as passionately as I could to get CyberNorth, the North East’s cluster, into a strong place and I saw the emergence of the UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration (UKC3) as a way of strengthening our region’s position, especially in the eyes of central government.
The email went on to say: ‘Established in 2022 with support from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, UKC3 was created to strengthen regional cyber capability and connect organisations in line with the National Cyber Strategy. The programme has successfully helped grow a nationally connected ecosystem, expanding the number of active regional clusters to 18 covering almost the entire UK.’
When we started there were six and each of the clusters was represented at director level in the new company. As I had no direct cyber experience I took on the mantle of finance and operations, eventually stepping down as I wound up my work prior to retirement.
It’s a great shame that the company is closing. Yes, it has done a great job in getting the other clusters established yet I still feel that there is a role for a national coordinating body to maintain links with central government, especially in these times of heightened international tension.
I’m proud of what we achieved in UKC3 and can and can state categorically that my personal objective of raising CyberNorth’s profile in government was well and truly achieved.
Still, it’s a shame yet I can look back on happier times.
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 