New £16 million plan to help cyber security businesses scale and innovate
The UK government has launched the Cyber Growth Action Plan 2025 to help the cyber security sector grow faster. The plan includes a £16 million investment to turn cyber research into new businesses and support startups and small businesses to create jobs and drive innovation.
Key points for businesses
The Cyber Growth Action Plan is led by experts from the University of Bristol and Imperial College London. They will carry out a quick review of the UK’s cyber security sector to identify its strengths and future opportunities. Their findings will be shared with government later this summer to help update the National Cyber Strategy.
The UK cyber security sector is strong and growing. In 2024, it generated £13.2 billion in revenue and employed 67,300 people. Over the past year, the sector grew by 12% in revenue and 11% in jobs, with 74 new businesses joining, bringing the total to 2,165 businesses.
The £16 million funding is split between two programmes
- Up to £10 million for CyberASAP (Cyber Security Academic Startup Accelerator Programme), helping to turn academic research into new businesses.
- Up to £6 million to expand Cyber Runway, a government cyber accelerator supporting early-stage cyber businesses and SMEs to scale, access new markets, and participate in trade missions.
The plan will also explore emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing to identify new growth areas and strengthen the UK’s competitive edge in cyber security. A new Government Cyber Advisory Board will provide expert advice to enhance national cyber resilience and secure public sector digital services.
For businesses, this means more government support for innovation, chances to work with universities, industry, and government, and a strong focus on improving the UK’s cyber security to protect critical infrastructure and public services.
Read the Cyber Growth Action Plan 2025.
First published 26 June 2025
