Cyber 4.0

Contact us

Cyber 4.0 is the National Highly Specialized Competence Center for Cybersecurity, one of eight centers established and co-funded by the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy..

Established under the Industry 4.0 plan to support the digital transformation of the Italian production system under safe conditions, the Center is now recognized as a national technology transfer hub and is an implementing party of the PNRR on behalf of MIMIT (Mission 4, Component 2, Investment 3).

Formed as a private law association, Cyber 4.0 expresses a public-private partnership that is highly representative of the national cybersecurity landscape. More than 50 entities – including universities and research organizations, public institutions, large companies, foundations and innovative SMEs – contribute complementary expertise to the growth of a robust, integrated and competitive cyber ecosystem.

mission

Cyber 4.0 accompanies policy makers, businesses and Public Administration on a growth path toward secure, sustainable and innovation-oriented digitization.
The Center’s mission is to promote concrete and strategic solutions, enhancing the country’s technological and scientific excellence in the European and international context, and contributing to the construction of a reliable and resilient digital ecosystem.

What we do

By institutional mandate, Cyber 4.0 offers businesses and PA:

  • Strategic advisory services and regulatory compliance accompaniment;
  • specialized and management training;
  • Assessment and test-before-invest activities in cybersecurity;
  • funding and support for research and innovation projects, both in the core areas of cybersecurity and in strategic verticals such as Healthcare, Automotive and Aerospace.

Network of laboratories and innovation infrastructure

A distinctive feature of the Center is the availability of a network of laboratories co-managed with its members, designed as environments for advanced experimentation and applied collaboration between research and industry.

The workshops promote:

  • Innovation and technological development activities;
  • Vertical insights into emerging issues;
  • Testing of frontier systems and tools;
  • High-value-added specialized advisory services.

Activities focus particularly on two strategic macro-areas:

Artificial Intelligence, with an integrated approach that considers both technological aspects (algorithms, models, AI security, reliability and robustness) and organizational and governance aspects (risk management, compliance, accountability and systemic impacts).

Operational Technology (OT) systems security, with specific declinations in areas of high criticality and strategic importance, including:

  • health,
  • automotive,
  • transportation,
  • defense.

Operational infrastructure to support SMEs

Cyber 4.0 also provides small and medium-sized enterprises with operational infrastructure dedicated to strengthening cyber incident prevention, detection and response capabilities.

Among them:

  • ISAC PMI, a platform to facilitate structured operational information exchange and shared threat intelligence analysis, with the goal of increasing situational awareness and the collective resilience of the manufacturing fabric;
  • a SOC-as-a-Service platform, enabling enterprises to access security incident monitoring, detection and management capabilities in a scalable and sustainable manner.

Strategic projects and the European ecosystem

Cyber 4.0 is coordinator of the NEST – Network for European Security and Trust initiative, which was awarded the European Commission’s Seal of Excellence for the establishment of a European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH), launched in 2023 and funded under the NRP (M4C2, Investment 2.3) for the provision of digital innovation services to businesses.

It is also the lead technical partner of the SECURE – Strengthening EU SMEs Cyber Resilience project, funded by the European Commission under the Digital Europe program and coordinated by theNational Cybersecurity Agency. The project supports SMEs in adaptingto the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) through cascading funding for concrete cybersecurity strengthening initiatives. Cyber 4.0 is responsible for the open call platform, management of funds for beneficiary companies, and contributes to training and awareness activities.

The Center also participates in numerous other EU-funded projects in the Horizon Europe and Digital Europe programs and cooperates directly with relevant European institutions, including the EuropeanCybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC) and theEuropean Union Agency for Cyber Security (ENISA).

International engagement

The international dimension is one of the strategic development axes of Cyber 4.0.

The Center promotes institutional dialogue, technical cooperation and capacity building in cybersecurity, contributing to the building of secure and resilient digital ecosystems beyond national borders, including through its direct participation in important international networks, such as the GFCE and the EU CyberNet network.

In Africa, Cyber 4.0 is involved in multilateral initiatives such as theAI Hub for Sustainable Development and in bilateral cooperation activities under the direct coordination of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and provides technical support and specialized expertise for local capacity building.

In Latin America, the Center participates in the EU-LAC and LAC4 initiatives, fostering dialogue between European and Latin American ecosystems and building capacity and expertise on digital innovation and cyber resilience.

90e0a158 c0b7 402e 965b 3f080f34562a

A bridge between territories, institutions and markets

Cyber 4.0 fosters business networking, matchmaking and open innovation activities on a national and international level, serving as a link between companies, territorial institutions and national and European reference bodies in the cybersecurity sector.

Since 2025, the Center has been part of Sistema Invitalia Startup, the network promoted by Invitalia dedicated to innovation and development in the country.

Cyber 4.0 works to strengthen digital security as a lever of competitiveness, growth and international cooperation, helping to build a cyber ecosystem that is resilient, open and connected to global challenges.