Home → Knowledge Networks → Security Knowledge and Innovation Network (Security KIN) → About

Role of Security KIN

Security KIN seeks to catalyse collaboration between representatives of the knowledge base and business in order to bring new innovation security solutions to market. It does this by:

• Integrating and mobilising the Region's security industry
• Linking regional security industry with the relevant regional knowledge base
• Facilitating the Region's security industry and knowledge base to work together to develop innovative new products and services, taking advantage of UK Government, EU and other research funding opportunities

Why Security?

The Security Industry is undergoing a period of major transformation driven by:

• Changes in the types of threats it addresses
• The increasing complexity and interdependency of the key networks services and infrastructure it protects
• Advances in technologies available to it
• Changes in the regulatory and commercial environment in which it operates.

These factors affect both suppliers and users of security equipment, technology and services.

In this environment, there is considerable potential for companies to gain competitive advantage by developing and marketing innovate new security solutions.

Why the South East?

The South East of England has the largest concentration of companies, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), and industry organisations linked to the security industry of any UK region. It also has close access to many of the major corporate and government user communities based in London.

Companies and universities specialising in the most important high-technology growth markets in Security (Homeland Security, Information Security and Biometrics) are very heavily concentrated in the South East of England.

Many of the innovative security solutions currently being developed to address these key growth markets build upon the extensive and high level systems expertise that is plentiful in the South East of England, particularly the concentration of IT systems expertise along the M4 Motorway to the West of London, and the Defence Systems expertise along the M3 Motorway to the Southwest of London.

Security KIN was recently commissioned to undertake a piece of research to provide an objective evidence base showing the distribution of the security industry, and its key activities and sub-sectors, throughout the UK. This study is believed to be the first study ever undertaken to map the overall distribution of the industry in the UK and its findings indicate that:

• 21% of all UK security industry organisation sites; and
• 28% of the industry’s knowledge based organisation sites are in the SEEDA region.

The full report on this research is can be downloaded from the following link:

• UK Security Industry Mapping Study, August 2006 (US Version to print double sided on US letter paper)(Word, 5MB)
• UK Security Industry Mapping Study, August 2006(UK Version to print double sided on A4 Paper) (Word, 5MB)