What The Human-Centric Cybersecurity Partnership does

The Human-Centric Cybersecurity Partnership (HC2P) is a Canadian academic research consortium hosted by Université de Montréal and headquartered at 3744 Jean-Brillant Street, Montréal. It operates as a transdisciplinary partnership mobilizing scholars, government agencies, industry firms, and not-for-profit organizations to generate research and knowledge products addressing cybersecurity as a social, regulatory, and behavioural problem rather than a purely technical one. The partnership is organized into three research clusters (Society, Regulatory, Behavioural) coordinating ten research projects, with a network of 40-plus co-investigators drawn from 20-plus Canadian and international universities including McGill, Carleton, Concordia, Polytechnique Montréal, UQAM, Simon Fraser, UBC, Waterloo, and Harvard.

HC2P's core outputs are research publications and knowledge-mobilization products rather than commercial technology. The primary offerings include the annual Summer Reports Program (multi-volume reports released in 2022, 2023, and 2024 covering topics such as ransomware, quantum-ready cybersecurity, AI and trust, digital twins, misinformation, and human behaviour in cybersecurity), the Mini-Grants Program (nine research projects funded in 2023), and a Publications Repository of peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers. The partnership applies AI and machine learning techniques — including natural language processing for disinformation detection, privacy-preserving link prediction with homomorphic encryption, and analysis of generative AI threats — as research instruments to inform policy and academic discourse rather than to produce deployable software products.

The organization is funded primarily through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Canada's federal social-science granting council, with additional in-kind support from industry and government partners. As a non-profit research partnership, HC2P does not sell products or services; research outputs are made openly accessible, and pricing is not applicable. Key partners include major Canadian financial institutions (Bank of Montreal, National Bank of Canada, Desjardins Group), telecommunications providers (Bell Canada), global technology firms (IBM Canada, Microsoft Canada), federal agencies (Public Safety Canada, Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, Defence Research and Development Canada, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada), and standards and education bodies (Standards Council of Canada, MediaSmarts, CyberCap, CyberSecure Catalyst). No revenue figures, headcount disclosures, or commercial financials are publicly available.

Name

The Human-Centric Cybersecurity Partnership

Legal name

The Human-Centric Cybersecurity Partnership

Website

https://hc2p.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Research Funding: HC2P operates as an academic research partnership funded primarily through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). The partnership leverages contributions from government, industry, and not-for-profit partners to generate research and mobilize knowledge for creating a safer digital society.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

HC2P is an academic research partnership that generates and mobilizes transdisciplinary knowledge on the human, social, regulatory, and behavioural dimensions of cybersecurity. Its core deliverables are the annual Summer Reports Program producing multi-volume research reports, a Mini-Grants Program funding exploratory research projects, and a Publications Repository of peer-reviewed research outputs organized across three clusters (Society, Regulatory, Behavioural).

Product overview

The Human-Centric Cybersecurity Partnership (HC2P) is a research consortium, not a product company. It operates as a transdisciplinary partnership of scholars, government, industry and not-for-profit partners organized around three research clusters (Society, Regulatory, Behavioural) and ten research projects. The main offerings are research publications through its Summer Reports Program producing annual multi-volume reports, a Mini-Grants Program funding specific cybersecurity research projects, and a Publications Repository of peer-reviewed research. The organization mobilizes knowledge to create a safer, more secure, democratic and inclusive digital society, arguing that cybersecurity requires human-centred solutions rather than purely technical approaches.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Summer Reports Program Annual research program bringing together postgraduate students across Canada to work with private and public partners, producing reports analyzing cybersecurity challenges through transdisciplinary societal, regulatory and behavioural lenses. Reports are produced annually and cover topics such as AI and Trust, Misinformation, Quantum Ready Cybersecurity, Ransomware, Virtual Trust, Digital Twins, and Human Behaviour in Cybersecurity.
• Mini-Grants Program Funding program supporting research projects on cybersecurity topics including darknet harm reduction, Chinese disinformation, false claims on social media, low-SES youth security, security of self, crypto theft, cyberhate on TikTok, data breach notification laws, and policing cybercrime.
• Publications Repository Collection of peer-reviewed journal articles and conference presentations covering topics including cybersecurity of critical infrastructure, investigative journalism anonymity tools, email security, online drug markets, and e-proctoring privacy. Includes 12 peer-reviewed publications in journals such as Journal of Cybersecurity, Journalism Practice, Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health, International Journal of Drug Policy, and conferences including CHI, EuroUSEC, and NDSS.
• Transdisciplinary Research Clusters Three thematic research clusters organizing the partnership's work: the Society Cluster examining social dimensions of cybersecurity, the Regulatory Cluster focusing on policy and legal frameworks, and the Behavioural Cluster exploring human behaviour and cybersecurity interactions. These clusters frame the partnership's 10 active research projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Research outputs informing policy on election security, data breach notification laws (Bill C-27), and AI regulation
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bank of Montreal (BMO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancial institution partner contributing to the HC2P research partnership. BMO participates in collaborative research initiatives addressing cybersecurity challenges relevant to the banking and financial services sector.
• Bell CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTelecommunications partner providing expertise and perspective on cybersecurity threats facing telecom infrastructure and consumer services in Canada.
• Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment agency partner and Canada's national computer emergency response team. CCCS contributes to research on critical infrastructure protection and national cybersecurity policy.
• Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDefence research agency contributing scientific expertise and funding to cybersecurity research addressing national security and defence applications.
• Desjardins GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative financial group and largest federation of credit unions in Canada, contributing research perspective on cybersecurity challenges in the financial cooperative sector.
• IBM CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology partner contributing expertise in cybersecurity technology, enterprise security solutions, and research collaboration on emerging threats.
• Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal ministry responsible for science and technology policy, contributing regulatory perspective and policy alignment to partnership research initiatives.
• IvadominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMontreal-based institute combining academic and industry expertise in data science and AI, contributing expertise on AI applications in cybersecurity research.
• MediaSmartsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanadian not-for-profit centre for digital and media literacy, contributing expertise on misinformation, digital literacy, and public awareness research.
• Microsoft CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology partner contributing expertise in enterprise security, cloud computing security, and research collaboration on AI and cybersecurity.
• National Bank of CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancial institution partner contributing to research on cybersecurity challenges in the banking sector, including fraud detection and secure financial systems.
• Public Safety CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal department responsible for emergency preparedness and cybersecurity policy, providing direct link to national cybersecurity strategy and critical infrastructure protection.
• Statistics CanadaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational statistical agency contributing data expertise and research collaboration on cybersecurity statistics and metrics.
• Standards Council of Canada (SCC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational standards body contributing expertise on cybersecurity standards, certification frameworks, and regulatory compliance research.
• Université de MontréalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution for the HC2P partnership. Provides administrative infrastructure, research facilities, and serves as home to numerous co-investigators including Benoît Dupont, Karim Benyekhlef, David Décary-Hétu, Samuel Tanner, Vincent Gautrais, and Nicolas Vermeys.
• CyberCapminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuebec-based cybersecurity not-for-profit organization contributing to workforce development research and connecting partnership with industry needs.
• Canadian Cyber Exchange (CCTX)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational not-for-profit cyber marketplace connecting organizations with cybersecurity solutions and talent, facilitating distribution of partnership research to industry.
• CyberSecure Catalyst (RCC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRyerson University-based cybersecurity accelerator providing industry connections and contributing to research on cybersecurity innovation and commercialization.
• CAN-SEBPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanadian Society of Ethical Bug Bounty Professionals contributing perspective on responsible vulnerability disclosure and ethical hacking research.
• GardesominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCybersecurity firm partner contributing industry perspective and expertise to research collaboration.

Scale indicators4 records

Broad incumbents

• The Alan Turing Institute: UK's national institute for data science and AI including cybersecurity applications. Comparable to HC2P as a multi-university research consortium with government and industry partners addressing technology-society intersections at greater scale.
• NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE): NATO-accredited international cyber defense research center studying cyber conflict, policy, and legal frameworks. Comparable to HC2P's focus on regulatory and societal dimensions of cybersecurity, though operating at a multinational defence-policy level.

Direct peers

• UC Berkeley Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity (CLTC): UC Berkeley cybersecurity research center bridging technical, policy, and behavioural research. Comparable to HC2P as an academic consortium addressing cybersecurity from multiple disciplinary perspectives with industry and government engagement.
• Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society: Harvard-based research center examining cybersecurity, internet governance, and technology policy. Comparable to HC2P's transdisciplinary approach combining law, computer science, and social sciences to study digital security.
• Stanford Internet Observatory: Stanford-based research center studying disinformation, election security, and online harms. Directly overlaps with HC2P's Society cluster research on election interference, misinformation campaigns, and democratic process protection.
• Citizen Lab: Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at University of Toronto, researching internet censorship, surveillance, and digital security threats to civil society. Closely comparable to HC2P's Society and Behavioural clusters and its focus on human-centric harms of digital technologies, also based in Canada.
• Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity (CIC): University of New Brunswick-based Canadian cybersecurity research center conducting interdisciplinary research across technical and societal dimensions of cybersecurity. Directly comparable to HC2P as another major Canadian academic cybersecurity hub with industry and government partnerships.
• Center for Information Technology Policy at Princeton (CITP): Princeton research center studying digital technologies' intersection with society, including cybersecurity policy and regulation. Comparable to HC2P as a policy-focused academic cybersecurity research center with a transdisciplinary approach.
• Global Cyber Security Capacity Centre (GCSCC): Oxford University research center studying global cybersecurity capacity, policy frameworks, and societal resilience. Comparable to HC2P's research positioning cybersecurity as a social problem and producing policy-relevant outputs for governments.
• CMU CyLab: Carnegie Mellon's cybersecurity and privacy research center working across technical and societal dimensions with broad corporate partnerships. Comparable to HC2P's blend of computer science research with broader societal cybersecurity questions and partner-driven research agenda.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HC2P_Ca
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hc2p-ca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Human-Centric Cybersecurity Partnership