The National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA) has announced the 20 winning teams of the CyberIC Innovation Program. The program was launched through a strategic partnership with NEOM aiming to contributes to the growth of Saudi Arabia's cybersecurity sector, encouraging innovation, and fostering investment. The CyberIC Innovation ceremony held in Riyadh was attended by Eng. Majid Bin Muhammad Al-Mazyad, Governor of NCA, and Eng. Nadhmi Al-Nasr, CEO of NEOM, alongside key ecosystem and industry key players, entrepreneurs, and investors. The CyberIC Innovation is part of NCA's CyberIC program, which aims to develop the cybersecurity sector in Saudi Arabia through initiatives designed to foster cyber innovation, enable cyber entrepreneurs, and develop local talent. The CyberIC Innovation Program is in strategic partnership with NEOM and NCA's technical partner, Saudi Information Technology Company (SITE), to identify and empower top local cyber innovators. In the run-up to the award ceremony, the 50 teams in the qualification stage participated in an intensive 5-week program that included technical workshops, mentorship sessions with global experts, and creative brainstorming workshops to design innovative solutions to solve cybersecurity challenges. The selection process to choose the winners involved a committee of key industry and investment representatives, who evaluated projects based on how they would contribute to CyberIC's priority areas. These priority areas are securing the cities of the future, harnessing cognitive cybersecurity paradigm, building resilience for an industrial future, and secure imagined worlds. The 20 winning teams will receive financial grants to further develop their innovative cybersecurity solutions. The National Cybersecurity Authority announced during the ceremony that the awards for the program, which it launched in strategic partnership with NEOM, were divided into 4 categories, namely "Diamond, Gold, Silver, and Bronze." Prizes will be awarded to 20 teams that will be provided with financial grants to help them develop their innovative cybersecurity products and potentially establish their startups in the fields of cybersecurity. The winning teams will start a 6-month innovation program in October 2023, and will provide intensive sessions and mentorship with local and international experts in innovation, cybersecurity, and future technologies. The Innovation Program will allow teams to contribute to cutting-edge cyber developments in NEOM, and includes a visit to a world leading innovation center where they will have an opportunity for networking, knowledge exchange, and product promotion to investors. The CyberIC Innovation Program aims to support the development of the winning ideas and turn them into viable commercial products – thereby fostering localized innovative cybersecurity solutions, promoting investment in cybersecurity, and boosting cybersecurity sector in Saudi Arabia. It plays a critical role in nurturing local talent, creating a strong local cybersecurity companies, and enable cybersecurity entrepreneurs in a thriving environment that foster innovation. The NCA was established in 2017 by a Royal Order of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman. It is the government entity in charge of cybersecurity in Saudi Arabia. — SG
