If you’re in cyber in the South West, hopefully you’ve heard of the Bristol & Bath Cyber Cluster. In case you’re unfamiliar, the Bristol & Bath Cyber Cluster was formed to foster collaboration, knowledge exchange, and sharing of best practices across the cybersecurity sector in the area, with the objective to develop the ecosystem, promote innovation, and grow cyber skills. If you’re interested in cybersecurity and looking to make a difference in our community, joining the Community Board for the Bristol & Bath Cyber Cluster could be an excellent opportunity for you. Apply here today!
In the past year, we’ve been working hard to connect with the cyber community in the Bristol & Bath area and we’ve been supporting our ecosystem with new projects and events. As we continue on this journey, we want to make sure we get the best advice and direction, which is why we’re building a Community Board for the cyber community we serve.
The Board will be made up of members from a variety of industries and backgrounds, such as cybersecurity vendors, government organisations, universities, and businesses of all sizes. Being part of the Board means that you will have the opportunity to work alongside other experts in the field to shape the direction of the Cluster. You will help to set the Cluster’s strategic direction, identifying opportunities for collaboration, and overseeing the Cluster’s operations.
You will also have an opportunity to provide guidance and support to other Cluster members and help to build relationships with the key stakeholders in the community. The Board will be responsible for setting the agenda for meetings, identifying areas of focus, and determining the initiatives that the cluster will undertake.
This will include helping to organise our annual Cyber Conference, recommending speakers for our monthly networking events, and working with us to identify ways to encourage innovation and growth. This level of involvement provides a unique opportunity to help shape the future of cybersecurity in the region.
Join the Bristol & Bath Cyber Community
The Bristol & Bath Cyber Cluster has already achieved significant success in promoting collaboration between businesses and academia. The Cluster has organised events, workshops, and opportunities to bring together the cybersecurity community and facilitate knowledge sharing. By creating the Community Board we hope to be able to build on this success and develop new initiatives that will drive innovation in the sector.
We’re really keen that the process is as fair and inclusive as possible, to draw strength from the full diversity of the community. Part of our work in the community is embedding inclusion across all of our projects to improve the diversity of the sector. Our Inclusion Lead ensures that all our activity is intersectionally inclusive and focused on this key challenge.
We are looking for people who are committed to the advancement of the cybersecurity community in the West. It is important for us that our Community Board reflects the communities that we represent and the community we want to be.
Applications are particularly welcome from; people that are under-represented in the tech and digital sector, for example, you are from the BAME community, or you are a disabled person (as defined by the Equalities Act in 2010), or you did not go to University, or you had free school meals as a child.
We are also very keen to recruit people with fresh perspectives – so experience with techSPARK’s activities to date isn’t required. Previously we have reached out and directly asked people to join us, but in order to broaden our reach, we’ve created an application process to allow us to share this opportunity across the cyber community. If you are interested in applying, but not sure that you have all the skills, please do apply. You could always talk to us first if you have any questions.
Community Board Member Commitment:
- Prepare for and attend 4 Community Board meetings per year – Mar, Jun, Sep, Dec
- Attendance at ad-hoc meetings as required, on a voluntary basis
- Opportunity to support Bristol & Bath Cyber Cluster & techSPARK at events
- Champion the Bristol & Bath Cyber Cluster, the community it represents, and its values
We’re at the heart of one of the most exciting tech communities in Europe with an enormous opportunity to make a substantive difference in the next few years for people and organisations in the ecosystem. We’d love you to join us and help make it world leading.
If you would be interested in applying to join the Bristol & Bath Cyber Community Board you can register your interest here. There’s some more information on techSPARK and the role in the Community Board pack.
You’re also welcome to contact us for informal chats, email kerrianne@techspark.co or ben@techspark.co and we will be happy to answer any questions.
