Mastercard (NYSE: MA) is partnering with Northeastern University in Vancouver to accelerate cybersecurity innovation and expand Canada’s technology workforce.
Through 715,000 CAD, the collab will establish the Mastercard Professorship Fund and the Mastercard Vancouver Scholarship, initiatives designed to advance research and create “opportunities for women, BIPOC students and underrepresented groups in cybersecurity over the next three years.”
Mansur Mirani, Vice President, Global Intelligence and Cyber Centre of Excellence in Vancouver, Mastercard said:
“This partnership combines … research with experiential learning, equipping the next generation of leaders to tackle the most critical challenges in cybersecurity and deliver solutions that make a real-world impact.”
The professorship will be designed to focus on cybersecurity research and engages 100 students in total “over three years through industry internships, with half of them coming from underrepresented backgrounds.”
The partnership aims to combat bias in learning models and solutions developed by providing “opportunities to those often underrepresented in cybersecurity fields.”
Steve Eccles, Regional CEO and Dean, Northeastern University in Vancouver said:
“This partnership with Mastercard will give our students an incredible opportunity to actively participate in groundbreaking research in one of the fastest growing sectors in Canada and produce graduates who will be able to hit the ground running in the cybersecurity industry.”
The tech sector in Vancouver continues to be “a hub for research development of cybersecurity solutions in the growing digital economy.”
Through this investment, Mastercard is playing a leading “role in maturing new talent in the region.”
This partnership with Northeastern University in Vancouver builds on Mastercard’s commitment to Canada’s innovation and technology landscape, and it is an “extension of its $510-million investment in the Global Intelligence and Cyber Centre of Excellence in Vancouver.”
Through these investments, Mastercard is bridging the “gap between the academic and technology sectors, driving cybersecurity innovation, and ensuring Canada has a growing highly skilled workforce that will ensure it remains at the forefront of global innovation.”
Founded in 1898, Northeastern University is “a global research university with an R1 Carnegie classification, and the recognized leader in experiential lifelong learning.”
Northeastern’s global university system includes “13 campuses across the U.S., U.K., and Canada, and serves as a platform for scaling ideas, talent, and solutions.”
Students study, conduct research, and work “on co-op in 149 countries and on all continents.”
The university has 300,000-plus alumni and “more than 3,500 industry partners worldwide.”
As covered, Mastercard powers economies and “empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide.”
Together with customers, they’re building a “sustainable economy where everyone can prosper.”
They support a wide range of digital payments choices, “making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible.”
Their technology and innovation, partnerships and networks “combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential.”
