WIBF Supports The UK Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge 2021

Developing the Next Generation of Cyber Security Professionals

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The Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge is an annual cyber policy and strategy competition where students from across the globe compete in developing policy recommendations to tackle a fictional cyber catastrophe. Entering its 9th year, the Atlantic Council’s Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge is the world’s only global cyber competition designed to tackle the cyber skills shortage through iterated crisis simulation and policy analysis. It has been running in the UK since 2018. Its aim is to foster and develop the next generation of cyber security professionals competent in understanding technology, strategy and policy.

This year’s UK Finals event will be held on 16-17 February 2021.

We are delighted to once again be a supporter of Cyber 9/12, an event which shares our commitment to nurturing diverse talent and networks. Cyber 9/12 competitors come from a variety of academic backgrounds including Computer Science, Economics, International Law, Journalism, Political Science, Cyber Operations, Public Policy, and Software Engineering. There is no academic requirement to compete in the Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge and yet the diversity of academic backgrounds participating has grown each year.

Only 14% of the people working in STEM in the UK are female. Only one-in-six tech specialists in the UK are women. Only one-in-ten are IT leaders. And, worse still, despite significant growth in the number of women working in IT roles, female representation in the technology sector has stalled over the last ten years.

This is why events such as Cyber 9/12 are key to developing and showcasing diverse talent. As well bringing real-life scenarios to the forefront, it drives the importance of building diverse teams that work towards a common goal, bringing all their combined skills and knowledge to the table. It also offers students a unique opportunity to interact with expert mentors and high-level cyber professionals while developing valuable skills in policy analysis and presentation.

To be resilient in the face of future cyber security challenges we need a talented and diverse workforce consisting of technical, policy and strategy skills. Crucially, the Cyber 9/12 UK Strategy competition pulls together mixed discipline teams, combining these different types of expertise, and gives them a realistic joint challenge.

You can find more information about the Cyber 9/12 event here

Good Luck to all the competitors!

You can follow the event on social media on Twitter

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