NEWPORT, U.K. -- Westgate Cyber Security, which advises private and public sector organisations on information security and provides awareness training, hopes the six-month project could lay the groundwork for a world index of countries most at risk from fast-growing cyber crime.

Such an index could prove invaluable to British, including Welsh-based companies specialising in sophisticated security systems to protect IT networks, as a means of market-testing and research.

EADS Foundation Wales is a not-for-profit company set up in 2011 by the Welsh Government, EADS, a world leader in aerospace, defence and space sectors, and Cardiff University. It aims to invigorate the level of research and technology investment and encourage collaboration between government, industry and academia.

SMEs and higher education bodies apply to the Foundation for funding and grants for innovative research.

Westgate Director, David Jones, said: “Hardly a week goes by without some sort of high profile cyber attack on an information network. We have examples of hackers in other countries and sovereign states operating on an industrial scale. But there is a far greater risk of data loss from a broad spectrum of companies and organisations which can result in very serious consequences for them.

“We hope to find some way of measuring cyber security across the world, identifying countries most at risk and trying to quantify it, much along the lines of the Quality of Life Index. We would like to be able to say which countries have a higher cyber security risk than others.”

Mr Jones added: “The UK is second only to the United States in the ‘at risk’ stakes. We are the most developed country in the world for Internet take up and usage, so it follows that we are therefore one of the countries most likely to be targeted by cyber criminals.”

About EADS Foundation Wales

EADS Foundation Wales is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee between EADS, Welsh Government and Cardiff University. It was formally launched in June 2011 with an objective to increase Research and Technology (R&T) in Wales with an optimized but light governance regime designed for agility and flexibility while ensuring benefits to all.

About EADS and Cassidian

EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2012, the Group – comprising Airbus, Astrium, Cassidian and Eurocopter – generated revenues of € 56.5 billion and employed a workforce of over 140,000.

Cassidian, the security and defence division of EADS, is a worldwide leader in defence and security solutions. Cassidian provides customers worldwide with border surveillance systems, cyber security solutions and secure communications. In 2012, Cassidian – with around 23,000 employees – achieved revenues of € 5.7 billion.

About Cardiff University

Cardiff University is recognised in independent government assessments as one of Britain’s leading teaching and research universities and is a member of the Russell Group of the UK’s most research intensive universities. Among its academic staff are two Nobel Laureates, including the winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize for Medicine, University Chancellor Professor Martin Evans. Founded by Royal Charter in 1883, today the university combines impressive modern facilities and a dynamic approach to teaching and research. The university’s breadth of expertise encompasses: the College of Humanities and Social Sciences; the College of Biomedical and Life Sciences; and the College of Physical Sciences, along with a long standing commitment to lifelong learning. Cardiff’s three flagship research institutes are offering radical new approaches to neurosciences and mental health, cancer stem cells, and sustainable places. www.cardiff.ac.uk