Dundee City Council in the UK has joined the Abertay cyberQuarter research hub, marking a deepening of the city’s public-sector cybersecurity infrastructure. This will include the creation of a digital twin of the council’s website, allowing sandboxed-vulnerability scanning without disrupting council services.

Under the partnership, the local authority’s security operations team will work alongside staff and students at Abertay University to address real-world vulnerabilities and develop new digital safety protocols.

The move follows a similar integration by Police Scotland earlier this year and positions Dundee’s municipal government within a growing cluster of expertise that includes NHS Scotland’s Cyber Centre of Excellence and several private tech firms.

“Partnerships like this are vital for building a more cyber-resilient society,” said Professor Lynne Coventry, director of the Abertay cyberQuarter. “We’re not only helping to protect essential public services but also giving our students the chance to apply their skills to real-world challenges.”

The collaboration centres on a series of research projects assigned to Abertay’s MSc Ethical Hacking and Cybersecurity students. These projects will serve as Master’s dissertations, providing the council with technical insights while offering students practical experience in public sector defence.

Specific initiatives include the creation of a “digital twin” of a council-hosted website. This virtual replica allows researchers to conduct vulnerability scanning and risk modelling in a sandbox environment without disrupting live public services.

A second project focuses on automating vulnerability assessments using industry tools such as Nessus and Kali Linux to streamline the council’s ongoing security operations.

The partnership is funded in part by the Tay Cities Region Deal, a £300 million investment shared between the Scottish and UK governments. The Abertay cyberQuarter, which opened in 2022, received nearly £12 million of that total to serve as a catalyst for Scotland’s digital economy.

Dundee City Council leader Mark Flynn said the partnership was a strategic move to create “employment pathways” for local graduates while ensuring the city remains at the forefront of digital industry trends.

The cyberQuarter hub currently hosts nearly 100 industry events annually, aimed at retaining technical talent within Scotland. Other resident partners include Systal Technology Solutions, NCR Atleos, and the CyberFraud Centre.