Cyber specialist wins £295,000 of Innovate UK funding   

Cyber security business YUDU Sentinel has been awarded £295,000 of funding through Innovate UK's Cyber Scale programme.

The Clitheroe firm was one of only 15 successful applicants from 143 funding bids, which come from the UK Research and Innovation programme to develop technology that could help critical national infrastructure operators respond to cyber attacks. 

YUDU Sentinel, based in Clitheroe has secured £295,000 through Innovate UK’s Cyber Scale programme and, was one of only 15 successful applicants from 143 bids. 

YUDU has been developing its Sentinel platform since 2018. It provides organisations with a secure way to communicate and manage incidents when their usual IT systems may have been compromised or become unavailable. The platform is used by organisations in highly regulated sectors including financial services, government and critical national infrastructure. 

The 12 month Innovate UK project, which began in September, will see YUDU work with SP Electricity North West and Lancaster University to further develop the platform. 

Part of that work will look at how AI can support teams during a live cyber incident, reducing the administrative burden while helping them maintain accurate records, understand what is happening and meet reporting requirements. Importantly, AI will support rather than replace human decision making, with outputs reviewed and approved by people. 

For YUDU chief executive Richard Stephenson, the funding is also recognition of several years spent developing the technology.

He said: “Securing Innovate UK backing is a real endorsement of what we have been building since 2018. As a relatively small Lancashire business working in a highly specialised sector, being selected through such a competitive process means a great deal."

The Innovate UK project will run until August 2027.