Romania's National Directorate of Cyber Security (DNSC) has received European funds to implement the EU-INSPIRE project designed to meet the urgent need to bridge cybersecurity skills gap at EU level and to train a new generation of professionals with advanced expertise in the political, organisational and technological dimensions of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI).

According to DNSC, the directorate is the beneficiary of a financial grant for the implementation of the project 'INnovative multi-diSciPlinary Industry-focused cybersecurity education for upskilling and ReskIlling the EU workforce - EU-INSPIRE', in accordance with funding contract 101190054.

As the cyber threat landscape evolves, it is essential to have specialised training programmes capable of upskilling and reskilling the workforce to secure the resilience of Europe's digital infrastructures and services.

Launched in January 2025 on funds of EUR 19.478 million, including a grant of EUR 9.639 million, the project will be implemented over a period of 48 months and will aim to develop a sustainable and multidisciplinary cybersecurity educational ecosystem. Accredited and certified training programmes will also be developed, a cybersecurity campus will be created and the EU-INSPIRE Academy will be laid.

The consortium, consisting of 24 partners from 14 European countries, is coordinated by the University of Piraeus Research Center (Greece) and includes leading academic institutions, research organisations, private companies and national authorities.

The Romanian partners involved in the project are DNSC and Bitdefender.

The mission of the EU-INSPIRE project is to meet the multiple vocational education and training requirements that are essential to support the resilience of the future European cybersecurity ecosystem. That will be achieved through an innovative approach, focused on three main directions: developing the skills of staff specialised in the use of cybersecurity technologies based on artificial intelligence to strengthen the resilience of digital processes, systems and infrastructures; training experts with a deep understanding of the convergence between cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, as well as mechanisms for assessing cyber risks and threats; deepening the knowledge of experts with sectoral perspectives on digital transformation, with a focus on the application of state-of-the-art AI solutions for cybersecurity compliance assessment.

The EU-INSPIRE project will implement strategic mechanisms for the involvement of a diverse research and industry community, ensuring the sustainability of the results even after the end of the project. Within the project, a European educational ecosystem will be developed to support the continuous learning and professional development of experts in the field of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, through the development of accredited training programs at master's level, open access educational resources and certifications adapted to the dynamic needs of the industry, as well as through the establishment of a sustainable academy, able to secure continuity of the project results and contribute to future European strategies in cybersecurity education.

During the project, three distinct master's programs (MSc, MBA and MSc for research) will be delivered, which will involve over 1,000 students, and 5,000 certifications in the field will be awarded.

'As a partner in the EU-INSPIRE project, DNSC will ensure the appropriate adaptation of the curricula in relation to the proposed policies and compliance of the certifications of the developed study programs. Important aspects: expertise in standards, regulations and good practices in the field of cybersecurity; guidance on the alignment of study curricula, certification and accreditation in the industry, facilitating the transition of students and graduates to the labour market; hubs of technological innovation and entrepreneurship; exposure of students to emerging technologies, research collaborations and industrial partnerships; access to state-of-the-art facilities, mentoring programmes and networking opportunities, promoting a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship among students', according to DNSC.

During the implementation of the project there will be multiple opportunities for involvement for relevant actors in the field, such as: constant updates on educational programmes, certification processes and academic developments in the fields of cybersecurity and AI; access to multidisciplinary research and publications developed under the project; collaboration with national cybersecurity authorities by creating dedicated hubs for knowledge exchange and awareness; participation in workshops, training courses and cross-border networking initiatives for knowledge dissemination and capacity building; contribute to the development of a standardised and sustainable educational framework for the future cybersecurity workforce.

The EU-INSPIRE project received funding under the Digital Europe Programme, the DIGITAL-2023-SKILLS-05 call, under funding contract no. 101190054. AGERPRES (RO - editing by: Oana Tilica; EN - writing by: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu)