From the heart of the Welsh valleys, Thales Ebbw Vale is blazing a trail in the field of cybersecurity. Our unique facility acts as a hub of knowledge, innovation, and collaboration, dedicated to ensuring the security and resilience of our nation’s critical national infrastructure.
Established as the National Digital Exploitation Centre (NDEC), in partnership with Welsh Government and University of South Wales, the site has been a key economic development and growth catalyst project in South Wales delivering:
- Research and development projects with universities and local businesses
- Support to local businesses (specifically start-ups and SMEs)
- Cyber-hygiene awareness within local communities
- Support to individuals, schools, academic and business organisations to encourage interest in the cyber industry and grow the pipeline of talent in South Wales
From these origins, it has quickly established itself as a globally recognised industrial cybersecurity centre of excellence.
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Ebbw Vale is home to Thales’s Global Centre of Excellence for Operational Technology Cybersecurity - a world leading campus in the development of industrial cyber engineering and cyber research for Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), covering energy, transport and critical manufacturing.
Here we provide a collaborative environment to develop and deliver secure, resilient solutions for complex connected systems. We differ from other cybersecurity organisations in that we not only provide cybersecurity solutions but our engineers also help develop and build complex engineering solutions for governments and CNI. The result is we know how to apply cybersecurity to real industrial control environments.
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Our state-of-the-art Cyber Resilience Lab at Ebbw Vale provides a facility for CNI operators to install and test equipment, with training and exercises to enhance their cyber incident response capabilities. By working together, we’re helping to strengthen national security against a backdrop of an increasingly complex cyber threat environment.
On the site, we have physical smart energy grid and gas distribution test benches as well as digitally simulated environments. Through rigorous stress testing and simulated attack scenarios, we work with operators to help them detect and respond to cyber threats, ensuring that resilience measures can withstand potential disruptions.
We provide a dedicated space for industry collaboration and research to develop leading knowledge in cybersecurity of our nation’s critical assets.
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We’re proud to be working alongside some of the brightest minds in the field to tackle the most pressing cybersecurity challenges. We do this through collaboration with government, local universities and partners, delivering cutting-edge research on enhancing cybersecurity capabilities for critical national infrastructure, including utilities, transport, and essential manufacturing.
Together we’re addressing emerging threats, implementing Zero Trust Architectures, supporting the secure and dynamic exchange of information via Data-Centric Security, and exploring the impact of AI and Machine Learning on the behaviour-based security model. These initiatives are designed to stay ahead of ever-evolving cyber threats and ensure the resilience of our nation’s vital infrastructure.
Working with industry partners to create secure and resilient digital transformation
In collaboration with Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL), we launched the UK’s first Smart Grid Cyber Laboratory at Ebbw Vale to enhance resilience of the UK’s energy infrastructure as it becomes increasingly connected in the digital age.
Our partnership with the Global Centre for Rail Excellence (GCRE) is dedicated to pioneering cybersecurity measures for the next generation of train network and rolling stock control systems.
We’re also working with the automotive industry to assess the cybersecurity risks associated with the increasing number of machine-learning-powered and autonomous vehicles.
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Through our partnership with Cyber College Cymru and initiatives such as the National Cyber Security Centre’s CyberFirst Girls, we’re helping to inspire and develop the next generation of cybersecurity talent in South Wales.
Thales Ebbw Vale places a strong emphasis on education, engaging with schools and universities to bridge skills gaps in cybersecurity. Our initiatives have reached over 200 schools and more than 10,000 learners, providing invaluable opportunities for students to gain insights into the cybersecurity field.
We’re also nurturing young talent through apprenticeships and internships. Since we opened the facility in 2019, over 25 to 30 apprentices have already xxx. These programs are designed to provide hands-on experience and mentorship, preparing the next generation of cybersecurity professionals for the challenges ahead.
Aberporth UAV facility
In addition to the Ebbw Vale campus, Thales employs 30 people in Aberporth, where the site specialises in uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), including the Watchkeeper surveillance UAV programme. The facility has received £12 million of investment from Thales in the UK since 2004 and is located in the largest area of segregated airspace for UAV operations in Europe.