Coordinates ACN, Cyber 4.0 technical partner of choice, ready 16.5 million euros for European SMEs

Activities of the Secure Project to support European SMEs for the implementation of the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) kicked off today, January 21, 2025, at the headquarters of the National Cybersecurity Agency.

** Press Release**

  • The goal is to ensure compliance with the Cyber Resilience Act. The total budget is 22 million euros, allocated to a consortium of 8 recipient members and 6 affiliates from seven European countries, coordinated by the Agency for National Cybersecurity (ACN)
  • Cyber 4.0 will develop technology platforms to support the project and administer incentives for small and medium-sized enterprises, based on its experience as a PNRR implementing entity, through the publication of open calls for cascading funding
  • The attraction and management of investments under the Secure project are another step in the direction of strengthening the Italian production fabric made up largely of Small and Medium Enterprises which by investing in security will be able to better compete in the global trade arena and foster the overall resilience of the system,” said ACN Director General Bruno Frattasi.
  • “Key project to support the European entrepreneurial fabric and to strengthen the security of digital products that will circulate in our market; proud of the central role of our Competence Center, Italy in first place for European funding for cybersecurity,” says Prof. Leonardo Querzoni, President of Cyber 4.0.

Rome, Jan. 21, 2025 – A €16.5 million cascade of funding to improve cyber resilience and innovation in cybersecurity: these are the resources from the European Commission will reachEuropean small and medium-sized enterprises through SECURE, a project funded by the European Commission through the European Cybersecurity Competence Center. The project, which is coordinated by theNational Cybersecurity Agency (ACN) and consists of 14 partners (including beneficiaries and affiliates) from seven European countries, includes Cyber 4.0, the highly specialized National Cybersecurity Competence Center promoted by the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy (MIMIT), as the lead technical partner.

The main objective of “SECURE – Strengthening EU SMEs Cyber Resilience” is to provide both financial and expertise support to European SMEs to develop tools and resources needed to ensure compliance with the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), the European Union regulation that establishes mandatory cybersecurity requirements for hardware and software products with digital components.

The total budget is 22 million euros, of which 16.5 million will go directly to European SMEs through cascade funding (Financial Support for Third Parties, FSTP) and the so-called “open call” system.

ACN, as project coordinator, promoted and gathered memberships in a consortium of partners from seven European countries, in synergy with NCCs from interested member states, finalizing a project proposal that will be funded with DEP funds by the ECCC to benefit the cyber resilience of all European SMEs

Cyber 4.0, as the lead technical partner, will be tasked with developing an integrated platformformanaging calls, distributing funding, and publishing materials and tools to support CRA compliance, as well as administering funds being disbursed through open calls.

The Cyber Resilience Act, which was approved on March 12, 2024 by the European Parliament and entered into force on November 12, 2024, will be applicable as of December 11, 2027. That gives 36 months to comply with a regulation that aims to safeguard consumers and businesses that buy or use products and software with a digital component by imposing precise security requirements in order to circulate in the EU market.

The range of merchandise involved is vast, from webcams to smart watches, video games to software, and IoT components.

SECURE’s objectives also include raising awareness, training and education in the area of cybersecurity; developing tools to facilitate the implementation of the Cyber Resilience Act; conducting testing and vulnerability assessments of products with digital elements to verify CRA compliance; and events and initiatives to promote synergies among European SMEs. The project originated in the context of the call for proposals “DIGITAL-ECCC-2024-DEPLOY-CYBER-06: Deployment Actions in the area of Cybersecurity” and is part of the Digital Europe Program (DIGITAL), a European funding program managed by the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC).

Coordinated by ACN, SECURE also involves Austria (Platform industrie 4.0 and 5 European Digital Innovation Hubs), Belgium (Centre Pour La Cybersécurité), Luxembourg (Luxembourg House Of Cybersecurity), Poland (Naukowa i Akademicka Siec Komputerowa -Panstwowy Instytut Badawczy), Romania (National Coordination Centre-RO), and Spain (Instituto Nacional De Ciberseguridad De Espana). In addition, 12 other European National Coordination Centers (NCCs) have expressed official support for its implementation, thus expanding the geographic scope and ecosystem of SMEs involved.

“The National Cybersecurity Agency is constantly working to support the national productive ecosystem in collaboration with Italian and European institutions to foster, through the development of technological projects, products and services, the strategic autonomy of the country as a member of the Union,” said ACN Director General Bruno Frattasi. “At the same time, ACN promotes collaboration with all national realities to foster the growth of reference markets and awareness of the challenges that technological innovation brings us. The attraction and management of investments envisaged by the Secure project are another step in the direction of strengthening the Italian production fabric made up largely of Small and Medium Enterprises which, by investing in security, will be able to better compete in the arena of global trade and foster the overall resilience of the system.”

Cyber 4.0, a highly specialized National Competence Center for cybersecurity, promoted and co-funded by the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy and a PNRR implementing party, identifies SECURE as a new and central line of activity in continuity with its institutional mandate, which focuses on initiatives to support SMEs.

“The SECURE partnership’s decision to entrust the management of the platform for the delivery of FSTPs to the Center of Expertise is an important recognition for Cyber 4.0, validating its work in recent years in the management and distribution of PNRR funds through independently developed and consolidated tools and processes, ” says President Leonardo Querzoni . This collaboration between Cyber 4.0 and ACN makes it possible to extend the business support role of our Competence Center to the European level, with particular reference to the SME context, which is particularly impacted by CRA compliance. At the same time, SECURE is set up as a pilot model that can also be applied to other sectors and regulations, offering the European Commission a platform for managing the FSTP mechanism. It is no coincidence that SECURE’s budget is one of the highest ever allocated for cybersecurity projects and at the same time brings Italy to the first place in the management of funding received by EU countries on this issue.”

Update as of 01/27/25

**Joint Press Release**

Enhancing Cybersecurity within SMEs – the EU Project SECURE Supports and Empowers Companies in Security Implementation

IND SECURE 2
IND SECURE 2

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Europe are receiving substantial support in implementing security measures and meeting the requirements of the Cyber Resilience Act. Since the beginning of 2025, the EU project SECURE (Strengthening EU SMEs Cyber Resilience) is dedicated to bolstering the long-term cybersecurity resilience of SMEs. With a budget of 15 million euros allocated over three years, the initiative brings together partners from several European countries, including Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, Austria, Poland, Romania, and Spain.

The Italian Agency for National Cybersecurity (ACN) is taking on the role of project coordinator and hosted the kick-off event in Rome on January 21 and 22, 2025. The consortium emphasizes close collaboration between the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centers (NCCs) and the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs). This extensive partnership aims to engage a wide range of stakeholder groups, strengthening SMEs’ resilience against cybersecurity incidents.

Cyber Resilience and Competitiveness

Supporting SMEs is of key importance-not only to protect them from cyber threats, but also to strengthen the EU’s digital single market. Targeted support measures, practical resources and clear guidance therefore provide companies with valuable support in implementing regulations. This ensures both their economic success and their competitiveness.

A wide range of measures are therefore planned, including training and financial resources in the area of cyber security as well as support in the following fields:

– Integrating cyber security into the development processes of products and services and thus promoting a ‘security by design’ culture

– Strengthening SME supply chains in cyber defense

– Assistance for SMEs to implement the Cyber Resilience Act

– Improving the cyber resilience of SMEs for economic safeguarding

– Supporting SMEs in implementing long-term, sustainable cyber security measures

“The SECURE project represents a virtuous model of coordination between different actors, public and private, aimed at giving concrete and tangible support to the European business fabric at a time when it will be called upon to achieve the levels of compliance required by the Cyber Resilience Act,” states Prefect Bruno Frattasi, Director General of Italy’s National Cybersecurity Agency.

“Gaps in cyber security cause considerable damage – according to a KMPG study from 2024, every 6th cyber-attack against a company was successful. That is why we are proud to support local SMEs – the backbone of the European economy – in implementing important protective measures in the digital space as part of SECURE,” states Roland Sommer, the managing director of Platform Industry 4.0 Austria.

The SECURE consortium consists of: