The EU already has many territories, or so-called ‘Cybersecurity Smart Regions’ hosting mature regional ecosystems which foster innovation and deliver cutting-edge technologies.

Interreg Europe CYBER – for the strong European Cybersecurity Smart Regions

Three major barriers encumbering the interregional cooperation among the regional cybersecurity ecosystems inside the EU have been identified: a lack of coordination between relevant actors, cybersecurity skills gap and market fragmentation.

Interreg Europe CYBER aims to boost the competitiveness of the European cybersecurity SMEs by creating synergies among European Cybersecurity Smart Regions.

For reaching this, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) invested EUR 1,53 million in the five-year interregional cooperation programme. Through a series of interregional cooperation initiatives, CYBER aims to improve the sharing of good practices and public policies and to strengthen cybersecurity ecosystems.

The Bretagne Development Innovation agency is the leading partner in CYBER. The project involves seven European regional partners, including Institute for Business Competitiveness of Castilla y León (Spain), Tuscan Region (Italy), Digital Wallonia (Belgium), Brittany Region (France), and Kosice IT Valley (Slovakia), Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (Slovenia) and Estonian Information System Authority (Estonia).

As an Advisory Partner, the European Cyber Security Organisation (ECSO) brings to the project its expertise on regional cybersecurity industrial policies, acquired in its Working Group 4 focusing on ‘support to SMEs and regional cooperation.

A multi-layered approach for cybersecurity: from Regional to European

June 2018 - May 2021: Phase 1 is dedicated to Interregional learning based on the exchange of experience amon partner regions. Together with their regional stakeholders, partner organisations (1) analyse territorial needs, (2) identify, exchange and investigate good practices, (3) develop action plans to improve regional policies.   

June 2021 - May 2023: The Phase 2 is dedicated to the implementation and monitoring of regional Action Plans, that have been defined during Phase 1 based on the lessons learnt thanks to the interregional exchange. These AP help regional authorities improve the policy instruments targeted by each partner region (Operational Programme or Cybersecurity Strategy depending on the region) in order to boost the competitiveness of local cyber SMEs. 

Our common methodology for CYBER includes a common and market-driven taxonomy to develop a structured mapping of regional cyber innovative ecosystems. It comprises cybersecurity providers, end-users, support structures, training organisations and research institutes.

The project also aims to understand the inclusion of local players in the design and implementation of local cybersecurity strategies. To identify good practices and policy needs, project partners exchange information through tailored questionnaires and a high-level strategic planning model (SWOT analysis).

While already contributing to the development of the EU’s digital single market, CYBER’s long-term goal is to significantly reduce cybersecurity market fragmentation in Europe by increasing interregional cooperation across European Cybersecurity Smart Regions.

https://www.interregeurope.eu/cyber/
https://www.gzs.si/sekv/vsebina/cyber_interreg