16th July 2025, Kathmandu
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has launched the Vulnerability Research Initiative (VRI) to enhance its vulnerability research capabilities and promote the sharing of best practices across the cybersecurity community.
NCSC New Vulnerability Research
This new programme will see the NCSC collaborate with external partners to strengthen the UK’s ability to conduct effective vulnerability research in cybersecurity.
Through partnerships with leading vulnerability researchers, the initiative aims to deepen understanding of the security of a wide range of critical technologies.
While the NCSC already conducts internal research across a broad range of technologies, the VRI will run alongside these efforts, aiming to accelerate the discovery of vulnerabilities and the sharing of critical insights with the wider cybersecurity community.
As the UK’s cybersecurity authority, the NCSC is responsible for protecting critical infrastructure, government, businesses, and citizens from cyber threats. To achieve this, it provides alerts, guidance, threat analysis, incident response support, and coordinates efforts with public, private, and international partners.
The VRI is designed as a structured partnership between the NCSC and external researchers to enhance the UK’s ability to identify and understand software and hardware vulnerabilities.
In its announcement, the agency stated:
“The Vulnerability Research Initiative (VRI) is NCSC’s programme of research with external partners on VR. The VRI’s mission is to strengthen the UK’s ability to carry out VR. We work with the best external vulnerability researchers to deliver a deep understanding of security on a wide range of technologies we care about.”
As part of the initiative, the NCSC will engage skilled researchers to:
Examine specific products of interest,
Evaluate proposed mitigations, and
Report vulnerabilities through its Equities Process procedure.
Researchers will also be asked to share details of the tools and methodologies they use, helping the NCSC establish a framework of effective practices.
Looking ahead, the NCSC plans to expand its collaboration with experts in emerging fields, including AI-powered vulnerability discovery.
Security professionals interested in contributing to the VRI can contact the agency at vri@ncsc.gov.uk, outlining their skills and areas of expertise.
The NCSC notes that this email address should not be used to submit full vulnerability reports; instead, such reports should be submitted through its official vulnerability reporting portal HERE.
For more: NCSC New Vulnerability Research