International Matchmaking Event on Cyber Calls offered information and opportunities to network

Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom), hosting the National Coordination Centre of the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC), North European Cybersecurity Cluster (NECC), Business Finland and University of Jyväskylä organized together an International Matchmaking Event on Cyber Calls from 10th to 11th of September 2024. The event was held as an onsite event at Business Finland's headquarters in Helsinki.

The two-day event, opened by General Director Jarkko Saarimäki from Traficom and Head of Digital Resilience Kirsi Kokko from Business Finland, focused on current Digital Europe Program (DEP) and Horizon Europe cyber calls. First day featured inspiring keynotes and presentations by Inge Øystein Moen (NTNU), Suvi Lampila (SSH Communications Security), Silke Holtmanns (PwC Finland), Luigi Rebuffi (ECSO), and Juha Remes (NECC), each offering valuable insights into the evolving landscape of cybersecurity.

The keynote themes covered a broad range of topics, from cutting-edge technological developments such as Quantum Computing, AI, Post-Quantum Cryptography, and 5G Networks, to the role of ECCO (The European Cybersecurity Community Support Project) in strengthening Europe's cybersecurity capabilities and competence building.

The first day concluded with an interesting panel discussion, where the above-mentioned industry experts and Pekka Jokinen (NCSC-FI) explored strategies for enhancing Europe’s competitiveness in the global cybersecurity landscape. Overall, the presentations sparked engaging questions from the audience, leading to even deeper, more fruitful discussions that continued during the evening networking dinner.

Practical advice and matchmaking

The second day of the International Matchmaking Event was devoted to Digital Europe Program (DEP) and Horizon Europe cyber calls, allowing participants a broader platform to engage and network. Attendees received an overview of current and upcoming cyber calls from representatives of the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (Tommaso Galli, ECCC) and Business Finland (Pauli Stigell), both offering valuable insights for the available funding opportunities as well as tips and tricks on proposal preparation along with statistics on how various European countries have performed in previous funding rounds.

The afternoon session took a deeper outlook on the calls and the preparation process, including key elements of preparing competitive proposals and forming a strong consortium. The joint collaborative session by Alexey Kirichecko (JYU) and Timo Mustonen (NCC-FI) offered participants practical tips and insights to navigate the often complex process of proposal writing. Furthermore, participants had the opportunity to ask specific questions about the calls, connect with others sharing similar interests, and pitch their project ideas, resulting in many new connections and fruitful discussions throughout the day.

Many thanks to all of the speakers and participants! If you would like to stay updated and receive information on the latest cyber security news and information on similar events, you can join the National Competence Community here .