The collaboration will look at new ways to keep data private and secure

A partnership between MIRACL, the world’s fastest single-step multi-factor authentication, and Edinburgh Napier University has been backed by a significant six figure investment from Innovate UK.

The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programme will focus on cryptography, the art of keeping data private and secure.

The two-and-a-half-year collaboration between MIRACL and an identity-focused research laboratory at Edinburgh Napier University will aim to bring together new methods of securing data and work towards further enhancement of trusted computer systems.

The academic team, led by Edinburgh Napier University’s internationally-renowned Professor Bill Buchanan OBE, has developed a deep knowledge of how cryptography can be used in the future to protect not only the security of data, but also the rights of citizens to privacy. This could involve proving that users know their password without actually revealing it.

New cryptography methods are also evolving which will be more robust against attacks from quantum computers and will open up other ways of protecting data.

Professor Buchanan said: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It will allow us to build on the knowledge of MIRACL and move forward our vision of creating a more trusted, secure and privacy-respecting internet.”

“Our focus will be to develop a foundation to build products and services that MIRACL can take to the market and will hopefully secure the UK’s place as a world-leader in cryptography and data encryption.”

“These areas include copyright protection of content, data loss protection and in supporting data processing of encrypted data.”

“Innovate UK supports the building of industry-academic partnerships, where knowledge can flow freely, and help to build new areas of our economy. For us, we have some cool technology to build with, including areas of Zero Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) and Homomorphic Encryption.”

Rob Griffin, CEO at MIRACL added: “As the online world continues to expand and evolve so quickly, the risks to our digital privacy are rapidly compounding.

“At the same time, regulators face an ever-growing challenge of protecting users – and the value of their privacy has never been higher. Left unchecked, bad actors will seek to exploit the plethora of personal identifiable information that is frequently and unwittingly being made available to them.

“There is therefore a growing need for cybersecurity solutions that help online services manage their users’ identity and data in a way that improves the experience while strengthening their privacy. MIRACL is already the leader in this space but there is much more to be done.

“This vital research with the world-renowned computing team at Edinburgh Napier will pave the way for future privacy-enabled security solutions. We very much look forward to developing this partnership and are incredibly grateful to Innovate UK for their support.”

MIRACL is best known for its single-step multi-factor authentication which, with its passwordless verification, allows online users an ultra-smooth login process. Its unique cryptographic technology enables authentication by recognising the users’ device with simply a 4-digit PIN or biometric.