Registration is now open for the launch event (featuring Richard Horne, CEO of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre). 

With ransomware and AI-driven cyberattacks on the rise, the need for a safe and secure cyberspace has never been more important. To help governments navigate the cyber frontier and encourage the responsible adoption of emerging technologies, the Blavatnik School is establishing the Oxford Programme for Cyber and Technology Policy (OxCTP). 

The programme’s initial focus will be the intersection of AI and cybersecurity, with a two-year research initiative funded by Open Philanthropy to explore how governments can collaborate with frontier AI organisations to protect advanced AI systems from cyber theft. 

Professor Ciaran Martin, who founded the UK National Cyber Security Centre and served as its first Chief Executive, will co-direct OxCTP alongside Dr Brianna Rosen of the Blavatnik School. The programme’s broader research agenda will be supported by world-class faculty, including Dr Roxana Radu and Dr Robert Trager, whose expertise spans AI governance, digital regulation, and cyber policy. 

As well as conducting high-impact research, OxCTP will convene leaders from across the technology and policy communities to facilitate dialogue, identify shared priorities, and foster a more comprehensive understanding of technology policy. 

Through a partnership with Just Security, the programme will host a Global Tech Policy Seminar Series bringing together leading academics, senior policymakers, and industry experts from around the world to address pressing issues, such as the evolving cyber threat landscape, data privacy, the risks of cloud concentration, and the role of AI in national security. 

Professor Ciaran Martin said: 

“I am thrilled to be launching the Cyber and Tech Policy programme at the Blavatnik School. Digital and cyber security policies matter more than ever. All over the world nations rightly view their critical infrastructure as deeply vulnerable in this highly charged political climate. Cyber criminals have created national security crises through ransomware. The illicit data economy is out of control. There’s an arms race in AI between cyber attackers and defenders. And there is no consensus about how these problems can be addressed, either for the technologies we have now, or the technologies of the future. Our goal is to bring together an unlikely coalition between technologists and policymakers to deliver fresh ideas and improve tech policy globally. I look forward to working with colleagues in building this important initiative.” 

Professor Ngaire Woods, founding Dean of the Blavatnik School of Government, said: 

“It is vital that governments are equipped to protect their citizens from cyber risks, as emerging technologies create new vulnerabilities. With research, policy development, and global collaboration, this programme will enhance our efforts at the Blavatnik School to prepare leaders both to handle these evolving challenges and to seize the opportunities.” 

OxCTP builds on past Blavatnik School initiatives such as the Oxford Cyber Forum and the Oxford Process on International Law Protections in Cyberspace, and will engage with researchers across the University of Oxford and beyond. 

For press inquiries and to find out more about the new programme, please contact our communications team on comms@bsg.ox.ac.uk.