Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst gets $3.5 million Google.org grant for cyber clinics

Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst announced a $3.5 million contribution from Google.org on October 14, 2026, to launch Cyber Clinics Canada, a national network of cybersecurity training hubs. The grant from the philanthropic arm of Google will fund practical instruction for students while offering free cybersecurity consulting to community groups and non-profit organizations, according to tech news outlet BetaKit.

The national program expands on a pilot initiative, the Catalyst Cyber Clinic, which was introduced in 2025 to assist non-profits with their digital security needs. The expanded initiative aims to help Canadian organizations create cybersecurity operational plans while offering real-world experience to post-secondary students and junior cybersecurity professionals.

Based in Brampton, Ontario, Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst was established in 2018 out of Toronto Metropolitan University to serve as a national hub for cybersecurity research, commercial innovation, and professional training.

Under the national program, students and junior workers will receive hands-on instruction under expert supervision. Participants will help community organizations with vulnerability and risk assessments, phishing and digital hygiene training, incident response planning, and regulatory and privacy compliance. Trainees in the program will not handle active cyberattacks.

In a statement, Catalyst founding executive director Charles Finlay described the cyber clinics as "a teaching hospital for the digital age."

"Much like teaching hospitals give future healthcare professionals practical experience while serving patients, cyber clinics give learners the opportunity to tackle current cybersecurity challenges under expert supervision, while providing smaller organizations with support they may not otherwise be able to afford," Finlay said.

Sabrina Geremia, vice-president and country manager for Google Canada, said in a statement that building a "strong, diverse, and skilled cybersecurity workforce is more important than ever." Geremia described cyber clinics as a proven model that will broaden access to cybersecurity education while assisting vulnerable organizations that serve Canadians.

The Catalyst said the initiative will also provide universities and other post-secondary institutions across Canada with the tools and knowledge required to set up and operate their own local cyber clinics.

The national rollout coincides with a rise in digital threats across the sector. An IBM report released earlier this year showed a 44 percent year-over-year increase in cyberattacks aimed at public-facing software and application systems.