The Open University of Cyprus (OUC), in collaboration with partner Universities and organizations in 11 countries, is participating in an ambitious new EU-funded research project entitled “INnovative multi–disciplinary Industry – focused cybersecurity education for upskilling and Reskllling the EU workforce (EU–iNSPIRE)”. This 4-years project, funded by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency’s DIGITAL Programme, aims to make a significant contribution to the cybersecurity sector by cultivating a new group of specialists with master-level expertise in the political, organizational and technological dimensions of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), and cyber insurance. Through EU–INSPIRE an advanced educational framework will be established to foster the development of specialized skills and support the continuous upskilling and reskilling of professionals.
EU-INSPIRE mission is to respond to the need for addressing the multifaceted educational and vocational training needs critical to support the future EU Cyber Resilience ecosystem through an innovative three-fold approach: i) nurturing ICT personnel adept in leveraging AI-driven cybersecurity technologies to enhance the resilience of processes, systems, and digital infrastructures; ii), cultivating cyber insurance specialists who possess a deep understanding of how cybersecurity and AI converge to protect cyber insurance policies, alongside expertise in deploying mechanisms for the assessment of cyber risks and threats; and iii), empowering domain experts with sector-specific insights into digital transformation, who are proficient in applying cutting-edge AI solutions to cybersecurity conformity assessments.
EU–INSPIRE will also implement strategic mechanisms aimed at engaging a diverse network of industrial and research communities, ensuring the sustainability of the ecosystem after the end of the project, through the development of a financially viable and cost-effective roadmap for the establishment of the EU–INSPIRE Academy. This Academy is envisioned to be the cornerstone of the next generation EU Cybersecurity Foundation, fostering synergies and integration with existing EU commitments aimed at mitigating the cybersecurity skills gap.
Consortium: University of Piraeus (Greece), Aegis IT Research GMBH (Germany), Open University of Cyprus (Cyprus), Asfalys SRL (Belgium), Bulgarian Cyber Security Organization Association (Bulgaria), Bidefender (Romania), Cardet Centre for the Advancement of Research & Development in Educational Technology Limited – CARDET (Cyprus), Circular Economy Foundation (Belgium), Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche (Italia), Cyberalytics Limited (Cyprus), Cyprus Organization of Standardisation - CYS (Cyprus), Directoratul National De Securitate Cibernetica – DNSC (Romania), Eunomia Limited (Ireland), European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (Finland), Insuretics Limited (Cyprus), Karavias Underwriting Agency (Greece), Ecole des Ponts Business School (France), Obrela Security Industries (Greece), Sphynx Hellas (Greece), Technische Universitaet Muenchen – TUM (Germany), United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (Italy), Universidad de Malaga (Spain), University of Oslo (Norway).