West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin today welcomed a collaboration which has led to the creation of a unique ‘cyber lab’ in Malvern. The MP was speaking after touring the lab, which has been funded and built at Malvern Hills Science Park by a group of county cyber companies. The collaboration started after Harriett gathered together local experts to meet with Home Office Minister James Brokenshire to discuss online crime last summer. And the lab – which is backed by Malvern businesses 3SDL and Borwell – has been unveiled to Harriett during a tour ahead of its official launch. The companies decided to set up the lab following requests from the Government science laboratory in Oxford and the cyber security experts at GCHQ. One of the first uses of the lab will be to test secure computer systems and provide intelligence about potential vulnerabilities. Harriett said: “The county has a host of brilliant companies which are operating providing expertise on the challenges of working in the online world for private and public sector organisations. “Last year I set out a plan to try and support our local businesses by bringing Ministers to Malvern and raising the profile of ‘cyber valley’ in Westminster. “This is the first product of that campaign and I am pleased to see so many of our companies working together in this way. “Jobs are being created in Malvern and this is clearly an area of growth both locally and across the UK. “There is more than £100 million of new Government funds available for small businesses working in this field to help us all be better protected from cyber crime. “Other senior Government Ministers are being lined up to visit cyber valley and I will continue to work to help bring funding and new jobs in to the county.”