Imperial-NTU launch S$20 million healthcare cyber security research programme

NTU’s Professor Liu Yang (left) and Imperial College London’s Professor Anil Anthony Bharath will lead the research. This photo was taken at the launch of the In-Cypher project and Imperial Global: Singapore at Eden Hall on Jan 8. The centre in Singapore is Imperial College London’s maiden innovation centre overseas. Photo credit: Straits Times

UK, S’pore scientists launch $20m project for healthcare cyber security   
The Straits Times, page A13 and online 

Hackers targeting life-saving healthcare devices like pacemakers is not just science fiction but could become reality in the future as medical devices become more connected. To prepare for such scenarios and more, scientists from Imperial College London and NTU will embark on a $20 million programme to improve the cyber security of medical devices. The four-year In-Cypher project is the first research programme under a research and innovation centre in Singapore by Imperial College London, its maiden innovation centre overseas. The research will involve applications for a range of devices such as continuous glucose monitors, smart electronic skin patches and activity monitors. Imperial’s Prof Anil Anthony Bharath and NTU’s Prof Liu Yang will lead it. There are currently no statistics on the overall number of cyber at- tacks in the world, in part due to confidentiality policies of various countries’ medical systems, said Prof Liu, who is from NTU’s SCSE. “But what is certain is that as medical devices and systems develop towards networking and intelligence, the number of cyber-attacks they suffer is increasing year by year. Although there are no statistics on the frequency of cyber-attacks, there are studies on the increased mortality caused by attacks,” said Prof Liu.   

Imperial College London sets up first overseas research centre in Singapore   
8world online, 8 Jan

Imperial College London has set up its first overseas research and innovation centre in Singapore. The centre will be located at the NRF Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE). Its first project is a S$20 million research collaboration with NTU to improve the security of medical equipment and health data.

Imperial College London opens first research centre in Singapore   
Berita Harian, page 2

Imperial College London has launched its first overseas research and innovation centre in Singapore to bolster collaboration between the UK and Singapore. Imperial Global: Singapore will see Imperial’s scientists working closely with university, industry, government, and third-sector partners in Singapore. The first research programme taking place at the new centre is a collaboration with NTU Singapore to improve the security of medical devices and health data. Academics from Imperial and NTU Singapore have been awarded a four-year S$20 million grant from NRF Singapore to develop better ways to protect implantable active devices, such as pacemakers, and secure the data protection of connected wearables and healthcare systems. The programme, IN-CYPHER, will leverage Imperial’s expertise in this area to establish Singapore as a global leader in health cybersecurity and AI for healthcare as it bolsters research and funding in these emerging areas. Prof Hugh Brady, President of Imperial College London said: “We are immensely excited to further boost Imperial's contribution to Singapore's research and innovation ecosystem. Imperial Global: Singapore will connect with world-leading science and technology in Singapore and Southeast Asia and open a gateway for stronger collaboration with the UK.” Prof Luke Ong, Distinguished University Professor and Vice President (Research), NTU Singapore, said: “NTU and Imperial College London have a longstanding strategic partnership and a history of successful collaborations. This latest initiative leverages NTU’s strong interdisciplinary approach in research to address challenges in healthcare and builds on NTU’s research strengths in AI, cybersecurity and more.”

Healthcare cyber security: New $20m project   
Tamil Murasu online, 8 Jan

Hackers targeting life-saving healthcare devices like pacemakers is not just science fiction but could become reality in the future. To prepare for such scenarios and more, scientists from Imperial College London and NTU will embark on a $20 million programme to improve the cyber security of medical devices. The four-year In-Cypher project is the first research programme under a research and innovation centre in Singapore by Imperial College London. A range of devices such as continuous glucose monitors will be used in the research, led by Imperial’s Prof Anil Anthony Bharath and NTU’s Prof Liu Yang. Prof Liu said there are currently no statistics on the overall number of cyber-attacks in the world, in part due to confidentiality policies of various countries’ medical systems. “But what is certain is that as medical devices and systems develop towards networking and intelligence, the number of cyber-attacks they suffer is increasing year by year,” said Prof Liu.

Imperial College London opens first research centre in Singapore
Singapore Business Review

Imperial College London has launched its first overseas research and innovation centre in Singapore to bolster collaboration between the UK and Singapore. The centre will work with university, industry, government, and third-sector partners in Singapore. The first research programme hosted by the new centre is a collaboration with NTU Singapore worth $20m. The programme is called IN-CYPHER and is designed to establish Singapore as a global leader in health cybersecurity and AI for healthcare to bolster research and funding in said areas.

Imperial College and NTU Spearhead $20 Million Initiative for Medical Device Cybersecurity
BNN (India), 8 Jan   

Imperial College London and NTU have embarked on a pioneering journey in the realm of cybersecurity for medical devices. The institutions have launched a $20 million research programme, dubbed In-Cypher, aimed at fortifying the cyber defences of medical gadgets such as pacemakers and other interconnected healthcare systems.

Imperial Debuts First Foreign Innovation Hub in Singapore
Mirage News, 8 Jan

Imperial College London has opened its first overseas research and innovation centre in Singapore to strengthen collaboration between the UK and Singapore. Imperial Global: Singapore will see Imperial's scientists working closely with university, industry, government, and third-sector partners in Singapore. The first research programme taking place at the new centre is a major S$20million grant in collaboration with NTU Singapore to improve the security of medical devices and health data. The programme, IN-CYPHER, will leverage Imperial's expertise in this area to establish Singapore as a global leader in health cybersecurity and AI for healthcare as it bolsters research and funding in these emerging areas.

- Launch of Imperial-NTU healthcare cyber security research project jointly initiated by CCO and Imperial College London. See joint news release.