On 4 December 2024, the Commission has launched a call for expression of interest to join the new Industry-Academia Network under the Cybersecurity Skills Academy. The primary objective of this network is to foster cooperation between academia and industry and the significant skills and cybersecurity talent gap within the European Union.
“Cybersecurity is a top priority for the European Union, and bridging the skills gap is crucial to ensuring our digital economy remains secure and competitive. The launch of the Industry-Academia Network under the European Cyber Skills Academy is a significant step forward in achieving this goal. I encourage all stakeholders to join forces and together build a robust ecosystem that addresses the needs of the cybersecurity job market and supports the growth of a highly skilled EU workforce.”
Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy
The Industry-Academia network:
Building on the outcomes of the High-Level Round Table on Cyber skills held in May, the Industry-Academia Network aims to strengthen the connections between industry and academia. This includes stakeholders who have pledged to the Cybersecurity Skills Academy and higher education institutions, European Universities alliances, and vocational education and training (VET) providers.
The network will focus on aligning the needs of the cybersecurity job market with academic and training offerings, ultimately targeting the EU’s cybersecurity workforce. Contributing to the EU’s attractiveness, higher education institutions and VET providers from countries participating in the Digital Europe Programme (Advanced Digital Skills specific objective) will be eligible to join the network.
This cooperation is expected to result in concrete partnerships, such as the development of joint curricula, the establishment of mentoring programmes, apprenticeships and other initiatives to address skills and profile gaps in the EU labour market.
Key Highlights
- Stakeholders who have already pledged to the Cybersecurity Skills Academy are automatically enrolled in the network on the industry side.
- Higher education institutions, European Universities alliances, and VET providers interested in joining the network can apply through the EU Survey.
- The call remains open on a permanent basis; however, stakeholders wishing to be part of the network’s launching group should apply by 5 January 2025.
By joining forces, industry and academia can work together to address the pressing need for cybersecurity talent in the EU and create a more secure digital environment for all Europeans.
Background information
The Cybersecurity Skills Academy, launched on 18 April 2023, aims to foster knowledge generation, to ensure better channeling and visibility over available funding opportunities, to define indicators to monitor the evolution of the market and to call stakeholders to take action. Following this call to take action, organisations have taken free-of-charge commitments to bridge the cybersecurity talent gap in the EU and to skill the EU cybersecurity workforce, becoming pledgers of the Cybersecurity Skills Academy.
More information
Cyber Skills Academy: Get Involved
Industry-Academia network: Call for expression of interest
Industry-Academia network: Frequently Asked Questions
For questions please email: ec-cyber-skills-academy@ec.europa.eu and communications@digitalskillsjobs.eu
Source: European Digital Skills & Jobs Platform
