The UK government has unveiled a "Cyber Growth Action Plan" to boost the country’s cybersecurity sector.

The initiative will see industry experts drafted to create a growth roadmap, which generated $17.7 billion in revenue last year, according to government figures.

The Labour government also announced up to $21 million in new investment to support cybersecurity sector programs, with a further $13.4 million to be invested in the "Cyber Security Academic Startup Accelerator Program" (CyberASAP).

The funding injection will see the government back academic cybersecurity projects aiming to commercialize their research.

A further $8 million will be provided to support related startups and SMEs looking to scale, a move the government claimed would “unlock more jobs, support innovation, and bolster Britain’s cybersecurity.”

“Cybersecurity is essential to our economic strength and national resilience," UK cybersecurity minister Feryal Clark noted in a statement. "Today’s announcement is backed by investment, showing we’re serious about making the UK a global leader in cyber innovation and protection.”

Among the experts the government is touting to pen its new cybersecurity roadmap are Amazon Web Services (AWS) Principal Security Strategist Mark Evans, Microsoft Chief Security Advisor Sarah Armstrong-Smith, and Google Senior Government Cyber Advisor for the Middle East and North Africa Ian Thompson.

Also working on the project are security experts from Google DeepMind, defense contractor BAE Systems, and banking giant Santander, who will form the government’s cybersecurity advistory board.

The group will work to create a set of recommendations to bolster the sector, which will be published later this summer.

“The UK cyber sector is successful and growing, but so too are the challenges as demonstrated by recent events which have affected businesses and consumers," Simon Shiu, a professor of cybersecurity at the University of Bristol who is leading the project, explained. “Based on input from all parts of the cyber sector, this project will make independent recommendations to accelerate growth in cyber, but also to increase cyber-resilience in the other sectors critical to UK security, industry, and prosperity.”

In addition to investments, the government is working on bolstering the nation’s cybersecurity defenses with legislation, with its Cyber Security and Resilience Bill introducing more stringent reporting obligations for UK businesses if they suffer a cybersecurity attack.

The unveiling of the Cyber Growth Action Plan marks the latest step in the UK government's growing efforts to invest in the country’s technology landscape as part of its ambitious "Plan for Change".

Beyond cybersecurity, the government has introduced initiatives aimed at wooing AI developers and data center operators with offers of tax incentives and cheaper sources of energy.