A new partnership between Edinburgh Napier University and mobile cybersecurity firm Approov Limited will aim to improve smartphone security.
The Edinburgh-based company has agreed a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with ENU, which will include the recruitment of two cyber security researchers, co-funded by Innovate UK.
Over the course of 30 months, Approov and Edinburgh Napier will work together to create innovative defence mechanisms and an offensive test bed – known in cyber security as ‘blue team’ and ‘red team’. 
The project, which received the highest rating in Innovate UK’s assessment for this funding round, will involve the ENU-hosted Scottish Centre of Excellence in Digital Trust and Distributed Ledger Technology.
It builds on Edinburgh Napier’s strong record in cyber security and digital trust technology. It has been recognised by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) as an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education (ACE-CSE) – and was the starting point for several successful cybersecurity spin out companies.
Edinburgh Napier University’s Professor Bill Buchanan OBE, academic lead of the project and Director of the Scottish Centre of Excellence in Digital Trust, said: “Scotland has many great cybersecurity companies, and, for me, Approov is one of the best. They have an internationally leading product range for mobile device security and work with many leading companies around the world.
“This partnership will allow us to advance research and innovation around cryptography and digital trust, and which will better protect users.
“What is truly exciting is the opportunity to create new methods, along with creating a test bed to fully test these. This type of approach becomes ever more important in an era of GenAI breaking software systems”.
Dr Anne-Marie Haughey, East of Scotland KTP Centre Manager, said: “Achieving the highest score in this funding round is a tremendous endorsement of both the vision of Approov and the strength of the partnership with Edinburgh Napier University.
“This project tackles some of the most important emerging challenges in cyber security, and the KTP programme has provided the flexibility to build an exceptional team around that challenge.
“Through the recruitment of two specialist Associates, operating in complementary 'blue team' and 'red team' roles, the project will create a unique environment where new defensive technologies are continually challenged and improved through adversarial testing.
“By combining world-leading academic research with a highly innovative and ambitious technology company, the partnership will not only deliver new products and services but also establish long-term capability that will support growth, competitiveness and future innovation.”
Jae Hossell, Approov Chief Technology Officer, said: "We are thrilled to partner with Edinburgh Napier University for this Knowledge Transfer Partnership.
“By combining our industry expertise with their world-class cybersecurity researchers, we are creating a unique environment to stress-test our software.
“This ensures Approov continues to deliver the highest standard of mobile security to our customers worldwide."