Whether for business or pleasure, the digital landscape is omnipresent today, which presents more scope for risk and widespread impact to everyday life – as demonstrated by the numerous high-profile attacks to grab headlines this year. which has kept the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) exceptionally busy.
Released in a year that’s required the NCSC to handle a record number of nationally significant cyber attacks, the organisation’s 2025 Annual Review reinforces: “Cyber risk is no longer just an IT issue, it’s a boardroom priority.”
The open letter from Shirine Khoury-Haq, CEO of the Co-op Group, which faced a multi-stage cyber attack in April, painted the stark reality of why cyber security is essential. “The attack has had a significant impact on me, my colleagues and on our members. I will never forget the strain it put on those people making it right, or the concern it has given our members, to whom I answer.”
NCSC CEO Richard Horne hit the nail on the head in saying: “Cyber security is now critical to business longevity and success.”
Having acted as innovation partner to the NCSC for several years, most notably delivering the NCSC For Startups programme, Plexal’s aligned to the mission of making the UK the safest place to live and work online.
This holds true across various initiatives beyond NCSC For Startups, from Cyber Runway to the Laboratory for AI Security Research (LASR), we recognise that cross-sector collaboration is a pathway to unique outcomes and solutions to challenges.
The spotlight of NCSC For Startups was a standout feature in the Annual Review. In part, it reads: “The success of NCSC For Startups is a powerful model for public-private partnership. It proves what’s possible when government and startups join forces to tackle complex challenges with speed, creativity and purpose.”
Elsewhere, alumni network member CounterCraft detailed: “Thanks to the support from the NCSC and Plexal, we’ve made significant strides in enhancing our product capabilities. Engaging directly with NCSC experts enabled us to uncover novel methods for detecting threat actor activity and refine our techniques for gathering actionable threat intelligence. This programme has been a transformative experience for CounterCraft, accelerating our innovation, expanding our global reach, and reinforcing our commitment to securing critical infrastructure. We’re proud to be a member of the NCSC alumni community.”
We’re delighted by the impact the NCSC For Startups community has made and continues to make for economic growth and security.
The Annual Review reinforces why enhancing the cyber resilience of critical national infrastructure is crucial, so we’re proud to have introduced a CNI stream to Cyber Runway this year alongside the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. We’ll bridge the gap between cutting-edge UK cyber innovation and the urgent security needs of sectors such as energy, water, telecoms, transportation and data centres.
Together, regardless of whether you operate in the private or public sector, whether you’re small or large, we can strengthen the UK’s technology base and close capability gaps to ensure our national resilience.
