Governance

Governance

The Association’s governing bodies are:
  • The Assembly, composed of all members;
  • The President and Vice President of the Association;
  • The Coordination and Management Committee;
  • The Scientific and Steering Committee;
  • The Supervisory Board.

The Assembly has, among other responsibilities:

  • To approve the Association’s general policy and the main strategic guidelines for the development of its activities, based on proposals from the Coordination and Management Committee;
  • To decide on membership applications submitted by the Coordination and Management Committee;
  • To elect and remove members of other association bodies;
  • To approve the budget;
  • To approve agreements and arrangements with third parties.
The Coordination and Management Committee oversees the ordinary and extraordinary management of Cyber 4.0 to achieve the Association’s objectives and is responsible, among other things, for:
  • Electing the president and vice president from among its members;
  • Preparing the action plan for approval by the Assembly and, in line with it, identify Projects;
  • Monitoring the progress of research, development, training and innovation activities and projects;
  • Coordinating with other associations or similar entities to define common lines of action;
  • Acting as an interlocutor with policy makers, representing the interests of the relevant industrial sectors;
  • Managing the operational and financial management of the Association.

The President is the legal representative of Cyber 4.0, convenes and chairs both the Assembly and the Coordination and Management Committee.

The Scientific and Steering Committee (SSC) has an advisory role and is composed of members’ representatives, highly qualified external experts in cyber security, and a representative for DIHs with which collaborative agreements have been entered into. The SSC has, among others, the tasks of:

  • Defining and updating the strategic agenda for Cyber 4.0’s research, guidance, and training activities;
  • Making proposals for the development of initiatives supporting the Association’s mission;
  • Assessing the results achieved in relation to the individual initiatives carried out by Cyber 4.0.

The operational structure is organised along two dimensions by application areas (cyber, automotive, space, e-health) and cross-cutting lines of activity (guidance, training, innovation projects – R&D) to guarantee sufficient technical expertise and provide the specialized know-how to cover all Cyber 4.0 thematic and operational areas.

The Supervisory Board periodically verifies the formal and substantive regularity of the accounts and certifies the accuracy of both the budget and the final accounts.

To implement its program, Cyber 4.0 relies on an operational structure composed of full-time staff and the collaboration of experts seconded by its members to carry out specific activities.

The Center equipped itself in 2022 with an operational structure reporting directly to the Director of Operations, organized into 5 functional areas:

  • Research and Innovation, which aims to:
    – Oversee and support the project management of innovation initiatives funded by Cyber 4.0 (Research Calls);
    – Direct the establishment and operational deployment of Cyber 4.0’s demonstration and operational laboratories, including Demo Lab T4;
    – Support the implementation of special projects and lead working groups requiring significant expertise in the Center’s areas of action;
    – Contribute to content-related aspects of Cyber 4.0’s participation in nationally and EU-funded initiatives.
  • Training and Orientation, which aims to:
    – Implement the Center’s training and awareness programs, maintain and update the catalog of related initiatives, and coordinate with members for the delivery of activities;
    – Coordinate orientation initiatives, including digital and cyber assessments, and test-before-invest programs, ensuring adequate involvement of businesses and public administrations;
    – Contribute to analyses of the cybersecurity posture of companies and public administrations.
  • Communication, which aims to:
    – Coordinate all internal and external communication and visibility initiatives, including the organization of Cyber 4.0 events and seminars;
    – Manage participation in communication events organized by third parties;
    – Oversee relations with the press and other communication agencies interested in the Center’s work;
    – Manage social media channels, communities, the website, and the newsletter.
  • Administration and Finance, which aims to:
    – Ensure proper economic and financial management of the Center, both in reporting to the Ministry for co-funded activities and in handling accounts receivable and payable in purchasing and service delivery processes;
    – Guarantee smooth management of internal administrative processes, including human resources matters (attendance, salaries, leave, business trips, etc.).
  • Business Development, which aims to:
    – Develop Cyber 4.0’s services and enable their delivery to third parties, including client management, involvement of members in operational activities, and related contracting;
    – Keep the Center’s market services catalog up to date;
    – Facilitate Cyber 4.0’s participation in nationally and EU-funded activities, from opportunity identification and proposal submission to managing relationships with other project partners.