A collaborative project created to help SMEs tackle growing cyber security threats has been recognised by an awards scheme celebrating outstanding learning and development partnerships.
The Staffordshire Cyber Resilience Programme, a collaboration between Keele Business School, Hixon Group and Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce, took gold at the EFMD Excellence in Practice Awards.
Only four business schools worldwide received a Gold Award in 2026, and the project is now being recognised as a transferable blueprint for successful university, industry and chamber collaboration in supporting regional economic development and business resilience.
Within its first quarter, the initiative reached 2,000 individuals, increased multi-factor authentication usage among participants by 73 per cent, reduced reported cyber-risk incidents by nearly 60 per cent, and secured £5,000 in innovation funding.
The programme also included a free online cyber security training platform and diagnostic suite which reached more than 5,000 users within six months.
Dr Colin Rigby, director of business engagement at Keele University, said: “Our model transforms the classroom into a high-stakes R&D lab. By operationalising student intellectual labour to address SME vulnerabilities, we fulfil our civic mission of impactful scholarship. This is not just training – it is a sustainable virtuous cycle between academia and regional economic development.”
Jonathan Lawton, owner of Keele-based IT services provider Hixon Group, added: “Winning the EFMD Gold Award validates our belief that the strongest cyber resilience comes from combining industry expertise with academic rigour. Together, we have strengthened our services while helping build a more resilient digital ecosystem for businesses across the region.”
