Spreading the Opportunities: The ECCC Info Day on Cybersecurity Funds in Brussels, 6 February 2024

On 6 February, the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC) hosted its an Info Day event as a physical side event to the Research to reality conference in Brussels, organised by the Belgian National Coordination Centre (NCC) and European Commission. The primary objective of this event series is to effectively disseminate critical information and raise awareness on the currently open cybersecurity calls under the Digital Europe Programme (DEP). Through these efforts, the ECCC strives to strengthen the European cybersecurity ecosystem and the European cybersecurity market by boosting financing opportunities and inspiring European stakeholders to respond successfully to these calls while also fostering collaboration. Lastly, European cybersecurity actors had the remarkable opportunity to spontaneously pitch their solutions in front of the representatives of the EU bodies responsible for the allocation of these funds.

On 6 February, the ECCC hosted an event that is part of the “ECCC Info Day” series. The event was held in the form of a physical side event to the Belgian NCC’s and European Commission’s Research to Reality conference in Brussels, Belgium (5-6 February). Powered by the European Cybersecurity COmmunity (ECCO) project, the in-person Info Day opened with a presentation of the the Digital Europe Programme and its currently open cybersecurity calls by Francesco Barbato (Head of Sectors, DG-CNECT, European Commission) and Rapolas Lakavičius (Policy Officer, European Commission).

Their presentation is accessible HERE.

The areas of actions that were presented are as follows:

• DIGITAL-ECCC-2024-DEPLOY-CYBER-06-ENABLINGTECH - Novel applications of AI and Other Enabling Technologies for Security Operation Centres (EUR 30 million)
• DIGITAL-ECCC-2024-DEPLOY-CYBER-06-STRENGTHENCRA - Strengthening cybersecurity capacities of European SMEs in line with CRA requirements and obligations (EUR 22 million)
• DIGITAL-ECCC-2024-DEPLOY-CYBER-06-COMPLIANCECRA - Tools for compliance with CRA requirements and obligations (EUR 8 million)
• DIGITAL-ECCC-2024-DEPLOY-CYBER-06-PQCINDUSTRY - Deployment of Post Quantum Cryptography in systems in industrial sectors (EUR 22.25 million)
• DIGITAL-ECCC-2024-DEPLOY-CYBER-06-PQCSTANDARD - Standardisation and awareness of the European transition to post-quantum cryptography (EUR 1 million)
• DIGITAL-ECCC-2024-DEPLOY-CYBER-06-PQCTRANS - Roadmap for the transition of European public administrations to a post-quantum cryptography era (EUR 750k)

Proposals can be submitted until 26 March 2024 at 17:00 Brussels time.

Besides conducting an in-depth review of the calls, the speakers provided comprehensive insights into the subject areas covered by these calls, along with delving into the budgetary aspects, criteria and guidelines for submitting project proposals.

After the presentation, participants were granted the opportunity to spontaneously pitch in front of representatives from official European funding bodies. Alongside engaging pitches from the above-mentioned providers, the audience actively participated in a Q&A session regarding the calls.

The thought-provoking questions raised by participants, along with the informative presentations, highlighted the wealth of ideas, skills, and expertise within the European cybersecurity market. It became evident that these industry players possess capabilities to effectively meet the cybersecurity needs and demands of the European community.

To sum up, the Info Day event in Brussels offered an intimate and workshop-like environment that provided essential information on open calls from the DEP for European actors to ensure successful applications to these opportunities. The event served as a platform to forge new connections, boost financing within the European cybersecurity market, and ultimately strengthen the European cybersecurity community as a whole.