// NEWS //
CNI sector supported by SMEs to protect UK services, public and economy from significant attacks
Plexal, have launched the Cyber Runway CNI programme. This is in accordance with the Cyber Growth Action Plan to grow a thriving cybersecurity sector that enables the UK to be the safest country online, while simultaneously changing the national culture for better risk awareness and management.
Funded by DSIT and delivered by Plexal, Cyber Runway CNI has welcomed six SMEs to contribute capabilities towards strengthening the UK’ s critical national infrastructure( CNI) against evolving cyberthreats. The CNI programme will bridge the gap between cutting-edge UK cyber innovation and the urgent security needs of sectors such as energy, water, telecoms, transportation and data centres.
Coffee shops and critical national infrastructure providers alike have been tasked by the National Cyber Security Centre( NCSC) in the UK to protect themselves against online harms. It comes as the NCSC Annual Review 2025 found‘ highly significant’ attacks to seriously impact central government, UK services, the public or economy have grown 50 % – a rise for the third year.
To prevent this, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology( DSIT) and innovation and growth company,
Plexal and DSIT have also sourced CNI representatives holding roles such as CISO to provide direct first-hand perspectives of challenges they’ re facing. CISOs will benefit from access to vetted SME solutions, understanding how they can be applied to their problem areas.
This cross-sector collaboration will provide clarity to all parties, covering a range of themes. SMEs will have access to CNI buyers, investment valuations, growth strategies and more, while CNI peers will receive innovation discovery, regulatory awareness, supply chain resilience and beyond.
Europe’ s SMEs have untapped potential to accelerate electrification and digitalisation, says new report
Europe’ s 23 million small- and medium-sized enterprises
( SMEs) are the backbone of the continent’ s economy, representing 99 % of all businesses and over half of EU GDP. Yet, a new report from the Solar Impulse Foundation, a nonprofit organisation promoting efficient solutions and clean energy, and global energy technology leader, Schneider Electric( via the Schneider Electric Foundation’ s partnership with Solar Impulse Foundation), reveals that only 11 % of SMEs have made substantial sustainable investments, despite the enormous potential for cost savings, resilience and competitiveness.
Europe aims to raise its electrification rate from 21.3 % to 32 % by 2030, but urgent action is needed. With 40 % of the continent’ s electricity grid being over 40-years-old and € 584 billion in grid investment required by the end of the decade, modernisation of its infrastructure to cope with this ambition is critical.
The report, Unlocking SME Competitiveness in Europe, highlights that electrification and digitalisation can cut energy use by 20-30 % and reduce CO 2 emissions by up to 40 % in key sectors, unlocking billions in untapped value by 2030. While 93 % of SMEs have implemented at least one resource-efficiency measure, only a quarter have adopted comprehensive carbon-reduction strategies.
“ Europe’ s industrial future is at a crossroads, particularly when we see the untapped role that SMEs can play in solving our energy challenges and in driving competitiveness. Electrification and digitalisation are not ambitions; they are imperatives”, said Laurent Bataille, Executive Vice President of Europe Operations at Schneider Electric.
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