A new body has been created to help the UK combat national security threats and against nation state actors’ attempts at stealing sensitive research and information.

As part of the Integrated Review Refresh, the UK government announced the creation of the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) to help businesses and organisations defend themselves against national security threats.

This new body, which is part of MI5, aims to increase the UK’s resilience to state threats as well as terrorism, and will play a part in strengthening the country’s economic security.

The NPSA has absorbed the responsibilities of the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure but with a broader remit, reflecting the fact that the threats the UK faces today extend far beyond critical national infrastructure.

Advice will be provided so that it can be understood and used by a broad range of private and public sector organisations, including tech start-ups, businesses, events venues and universities.

Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said: “Science, technology, and academia are as much on the front lines of national security as the UK’s critical national infrastructure.

“We know that hostile actors are trying to steal intellectual property from UK institutions in order to harm our country.

“The National Protective Security Authority will play a crucial role in helping businesses and universities better protect themselves and maintain their competitive advantage.”

The NPSA will work closely with key partners such as the National Cyber Security Centre and the National Counter Terrorism Security Office to provide ‘joined-up, holistic protective security advice.’

It will seek to provide training and advice on the protective security measures that businesses and organisations can put in place to help stop a terrorist attack while also increasing the focus on the growing state threats the UK faces.

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Last year, MI5 explained the emerging threat to businesses posed by espionage activity by the Chinese state. This included examples of the theft of intellectual property, exploiting academic research, and the deceptive use of professional networking sites to acquire sensitive information.

Among other areas of work, NPSA will offer advice to businesses on how to harden their defences against this type of threat. The Think Before You Link app is available now to help avoid the deceptive exploitation of professional networking platforms.