£50 MILLION CYBER ACADEMY TO BE BUILT AT SHRIVENHAM

A new £50 million UK cyber training centre is to be built at Shrivenham in Oxfordshire to support the training of world-class cyber experts, domestically and internationally.

The launch of the academy comes after the Department of Culture Media and Sport revealed cyber-attacks across government, including espionage activity and ransomware infiltration, cost an estimated £100 million in the last year.

The new Defence Cyber Academy will develop sovereign and international courses and support the UK in developing the national cyber profession.

It will boost the ranks of the UK and its international allies including the United States, training high-quality defence personnel in cyber technology, strategy and operational preparedness. Closer alliances between nations, delivered through shared experiences and training, will allow personnel to better prepare for NATO, joint and multi-domain operations of

AMTE Power agrees production contract with UK Battery Industrialisation Centre

the future, the government said. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: "Defence co-operation between the United Kingdom and the United States is the broadest and deepest of any two countries in the world and will continue to expand in the coming decades.

"The Defence Cyber Academy builds on that collaboration.”

Commander of Strategic Command, General Sir Jim Hockenhull said: "As Defence’s leader for the cyber domain, Strategic Command is committed to ensuring our personnel have the cyber skills needed to maintain a competitive edge against our adversaries.

“The Defence Cyber Academy will allow us to expand the training opportunities we offer, and share these with our international allies. This new development will help us share our expertise and better conduct the integrated operations needed in a modern battlespace."

Bar operator Revolution buys

Bicester-based Peach Pubs for £16.5m

Bar operator Revolution has acquired gastropub chain the Peach Pub Company for £16.5 million.

Revolution, which operates 69 bars across the UK, said the acquisition of 21 premium food-led pubs serving the daytime and mid-week market from mainly out-of-town locations would compliment its city centre bars and restaurants aimed at a night-time and weekend audience.

Rob Pitcher, CEO of Revolution Bars Group said: “This is an exciting and transformative opportunity for Revolution. Peach is a quality business with great pubs/ It has rebounded strongly from the dark days of the pandemic.”

AMTE Power, an Oxford-based manufacturer of lithium-ion and sodium-ion battery cells, has signed a contract to manufacture its Ultra High Power cells at The UK’s Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) in Coventry.

This is a significant milestone for AMTE Power. Under the agreement the company can request UKBIC manufactures up to 60,000 of its Ultra High Power cells each year, over an initial term of 24 months.

This will enable AMTE Power to deliver its first Ultra High Power cells in sufficient scale to allow customers to progress through to in-vehicle trials.

In August 2022, AMTE Power announced good progress in manufacturing trials for the Ultra High Power cell at UKBIC, with cells performing well against the company’s target specification when produced on UKBIC’s commercial scale equipment.

Kevin Brundish, CEO, AMTE Power, said: “Having secured significant early interest in our Ultra High Power cell from major automotive partners, this contract will enable us to bring our products to market sooner while we progress our own megafactory.”

Jeff Pratt, Managing Director, UK Battery Industrialisation Centre, added: “Advanced battery cells manufactured at volume in the UK are a vital component of ensuring the UK prospers from the energy transition towards Net Zero.”