The Academic Centres of Excellence in Cyber Security Research (ACE-CSRs) scheme is jointly managed by the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy [BEIS]) and Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ).

It is one of a number of initiatives outlined in the UK Government’s National Cyber Security Strategy ‘Protecting and Promoting the UK in a Digital World’. The Strategy describes how Government is working with academia and industry to make the UK more resilient to cyber attacks.

The scheme aims to:- enhance the quality and scale of academic cyber security research and postgraduate training being undertaken in the UK;- make it easier for potential users of research to identify the best cyber security research and postgraduate training that the UK has to offer;- help to develop a shared vision and aims among the UK cyber security research community, inside and outside academia.