Two Ministers visit Simula to announce cryptography funding

09 May 2018

img_0238.jpg

MInister of Research and Higher Education Iselin Nybø, Minister of Justice, Public Security and Immigration Tor Mikkel Wara. Photo: Simula/Karoline Hagane

The Minister of Research and Higher Education Iselin Nybø and the Minister of Justice, Public Security and Immigration Tor Mikkel Wara visited Simula yesterday. The purpose of the visit was to announce the allocation of a 5 MNOK annual grant to Simula@UiB, as well as 10 MNOK towards new research positions in cryptography from the national budget. This funding will be primarily granted to Simula@UiB and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

- This is fantastic news, states an enthusiastic Professor Kjell Jørgen Hole, Director of Simula@UiB. - The government has really come through for cryptography research in Norway. Our work begins now, of educating the cryptography experts that will protect the Norwegian society in the future.

Professor Hole further states: - Future quantum computers will make it possible to break cryptographic solutions that are in extensive use today, and it is necessary to develop new solutions that can withstand attacks from these machines. Presently, there are too few cryptographers in Norway to undertake this challenge, but with this funding from the Ministries of Research and Justice, we have every expectation of strengthening national security in the years to come.

The details of the budgetary proposal will be presented to the Parliament on 15 May.