Simula UiB conducts research and education in cryptography and information theory. The company is owned by Simula Research Laboratory and The University of Bergen (UiB) and is located in downtown Bergen. Its board is compiled of representatives from Simula and UiB. Simula UiB originates from the Selmer Centre at the Department of Informatics, UiB. The Selmer Centre has focused on coding theory and cryptography for several decades with excellent results. The center has achieved the highest grade possible in the Norwegian Research Council’s last two evaluations of all national informatics groups.
A brief overview of activities
Norway is becoming increasingly dependent on large ICT systems within sectors such as healthcare, communication, and payment services. Norway must ensure that national ICT systems are robust in terms of protection from both accidental error and malicious intent. At Simula UiB, the cryptography section assesses the strength of existing cryptographic algorithms against known attacks and explores new ideas in cryptanalysis. The information theory section applies techniques from the fields of information and coding theory to construct secure and robust distributed storage systems, design low-delay communications, and create multi-path protocols.
Long-term goals
The company’s long-term goal is to build a team of experts who can evaluate the robustness of national ICT systems and suggest improvements. Simula UiB is especially interested in evaluating the robustness of payment and telecommunication systems and has already assessed several such systems in Norway.
