Cyber 4.0: NEST Receives EU Commission’s Seal of Excellence
Europe’s new digital hub for cybersecurity can get underway
- The project leader is Cyber 4.0, a national center of competence for cybersecurity, along with the Digital Innovation Hubs of Lazio, Umbria, Abruzzo and the company Innova
- The goal will be to foster the development and adoption of innovative cyber security solutions, in the public and private sectors, through test before invest laboratories, advisory and advanced training, strengthening innovation ecosystems and capacity to access funding
- The call to establish the new European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) was held under the European Commission’s Digital Europe Program
Fostering innovation in cybersecurity at national and regional levels, from public administration to the automotive industry, from aerospace to healthcare. With this goal in mind , NEST – Network for European Security and Trust, a project for a new European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) led by the Cyber 4.0 National Competence Center in Rome, was conceived with a proposal that has been awarded the “Seal of Excellence” from the European Commission.
The European Digital Innovation Hub NEST was conceived as an aggregation point where cybersecurity solutions (a highly specialized sector of Cyber 4.0) and capacity building initiatives aimed at SMEs and PAs in Central Italy (Lazio, Umbria and Abruzzo) will converge. The aim is to facilitate the digital transition of public and private entities, offering support in the adoption of new technologies for innovative cybersecurity solutions, such as the use of Artificial Intelligence, blockchain, IoT security, security for 5G connected vehicles, etc.
The “Seal of Excellence” was awarded to NEST under the Commission’s Digital Europe Program. An independent international panel of experts evaluated it as a “high quality project proposal in a highly competitive evaluation process.” The hub will be established during the first half of 2023, with the participation of project partners, the Digital Innovation Hubs of Lazio (Cicero Hub), Umbria, Abruzzo (Match 4.0) and the company Innova Srl.
The services that NEST will be able to provide, thanks to the interchange among the project partners and making use of the co-financing from the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy provided for the establishment of EDIHs, will cover: cybersecurity tools and services, laboratory infrastructure to carry out test-before-investment, targeted training interventions, assistance in identifying and accessing forms of financing for SMEs and Pa, creation and animation of an ecosystem of innovation in cybersecurity, and support in the interpretation, application and implementation of the European Union regulatory framework.
The initiative has receivedendorsement from the National Cybersecurity Agency, Lazio Region and Enterprise Europe Network, and will benefit from further national and international collaborations.