National Protective Security Authority

The National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) provides expert advice on physical and personnel security to businesses, academia and other organisations. 

It is part of MI5. 

Visit the NPSA website

Security advice

Providing protective security advice has been an integral part of MI5’s work to keep the country safe for many years. By providing advice, we help improve the country’s protections and reduce the UK’s vulnerability to national security threats. 

What is NPSA? 

NPSA is MI5’s protective security arm. It was created in 2023 and replaced the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure with a much-expanded remit, looking beyond critical national infrastructure. This expansion reflects the changing nature of the national security threats the UK faces. 

What does NPSA do? 

NPSA offers guidance, advice and training based on their world-leading research and development programme and the latest intelligence. 

For example, the Secure Innovation advice helps start-ups and spin outs to take proportionate steps to keep their ideas and technologies safe from theft by state actors. Trusted Research offers bespoke advice to academia to help protect cutting-edge work in the UK’s universities. 

NPSA works closely with the National Cyber Security Centre, which is part of GCHQ, to offer joined up advice about how best to respond to both physical and online threats. 

Find out more about the NPSA