Know Hub Chile and Lockheed Martin will award up to USD 50,000 to the best cybersecurity solutions

Through the Know Hub Ignition program, participants will receive support from Know Hub Chile professionals and from the global aerospace and security company Lockheed Martin to develop a strategy that improves their chances of reaching the market. The winner will also receive an investment of up to USD 50,000 to implement that strategy.

Artificial intelligence, with tools such as ChatGPT, the metaverse and 6G, along with the many virtual possibilities rapidly emerging every day, not only expand society’s development opportunities but also carry serious risks. These dangers can affect people’s rights, public safety, critical infrastructure, digital government and a country’s external security.
So-called cyberattacks are a latent and very costly threat. According to data from Israel’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), they cause USD 6 billion in losses every day.

Preventing them requires both proactive and reactive measures. These are solutions that science- and technology-based companies, or EBCTs, can deliver by developing technologies that detect IT security risks and vulnerabilities in time.

To address this need, Know Hub Ignition, a program that helps EBCTs mature, developed by Know Hub Chile in collaboration with the University of California, Riverside, supported by ANID, sponsored by Corfo, and with Lockheed Martin as cybersecurity sponsor, offers up to USD 50,000 for a team to develop technologies that deliver strategic technological solutions and/or preventive operational models for cybersecurity vulnerabilities and mitigations.
Know Hub Ignition

This program, open for applications until June 11, has two categories: the first open to all types of EBCTs, and the second focused on cybersecurity, circular economy in agribusiness, and climate change. National or international entrepreneurs, researchers, and undergraduate and graduate students may participate, provided they have research results with high intellectual property content and potential to create technology businesses.

In cybersecurity, the category sponsored by the global aerospace and security company Lockheed Martin, the program seeks strategic technological solutions and/or preventive operational work models that make it possible to cover vulnerabilities and carry out mitigations to address them. Solutions should also be related to protection, research, threat analysis or threat sharing, or generate cybersecurity innovations for small, medium and large companies.

Technological modernization has involved the use of high-level IT tools such as artificial intelligence and the internet of things. “These IT elements have not been free of failures and attacks, along with the theft of the large amount of information they hold. That is why cybersecurity gaps have been growing. According to the U.S. cybersecurity company Fortinet, between January and March 2021, Chile suffered 410 million attempted cyberattacks, out of a total of 7 billion such attempts in Latin America,” says Óscar Astudillo, Technology Transfer Coordinator at Know Hub Chile.

For this reason, Astudillo adds, seeking new technologies originating from EBCTs is a highly relevant niche to fill, “and without a doubt the Ignition program has the tools to accelerate and mature this type of technology, based on the methodology that underpins the program, namely I-Corps.”

Know Hub Ignition is a 10-week program, and in cybersecurity it includes training and strategic support from Know Hub Chile and Lockheed Martin, a multinational company that provides technical and commercial support and guidance, including the participation of its corporate venture capital arm. All of this focuses on the venture’s value proposition and customer segment, accelerating its early and global growth, with national mentors from Know Hub Chile and international mentors from the University of California, Riverside.

Patricia Tobar, senior manager of Business Development for Latin America at Lockheed Martin, highlights that when it comes to cybersecurity, Lockheed Martin leads in comprehensive cyber systems for its global defense and security customers. “Governments and military operations around the world trust us to keep their platforms secure. That is why the cybersecurity focus within the Ignition Program was a great choice for our team. We look forward to continuing this exciting partnership with Know Hub Chile,” she stresses.

Thanks to this partnership in the Ignition program, Lockheed Martin is building a solid foundation for collaboration with the Chilean organization. “Advancing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education is a critical focus for our company. We know how important it is to inspire and educate young people in these areas. Our future success and our technological edge depend on a steady supply of highly skilled technical talent,” Tobar concludes.