Open university takes part in project to "cultivate" new group of cybersecurity specialists

The Open University of Cyprus (OUC) is taking part in a new EU funded project that aims to make a significant contribution to the cybersecurity sector by cultivating a new group of specialists with master-level expertise in the political, organisational and technological dimensions of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), and cyber insurance.

In a press release, OUC said that, in collaboration with partner universities and organisations 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).”

The four-year project, funded by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency’s DIGITAL Programme, it said, “aims to make a significant contribution to the cybersecurity sector by cultivating a new group of specialists with master-level expertise in the political, organisational and technological dimensions of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), and cyber insurance”. Through EU–INSPIRE, it adds, “an advanced educational framework will be established to foster the development of specialized skills and support the continuous upskilling and reskilling of professionals.”

OUC noted that the 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: nurturing ICT personnel adept in leveraging AI-driven cybersecurity technologies to enhance the resilience of processes, systems, and digital infrastructures, 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 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”, it said.

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, the press release concluded.