Governmental Grants for Cyber Resilience Programmes Security Delta (HSD)

02 feb 2022
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Auteur: HSD Foundation

Security Delta (HSD) has secured several governmental grants for the next few years, totalling 1.3 million Euros. These funds will be used to implement a variety of programmes that aim to increase cyber resilience across many different industries, and with a variety of different scopes in mind. The funds have been acquired through several different governmental grants: REACT-EU, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), the Digital Trust Centre (part of Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy), and the Metropolitan Region Rotterdam the Hague (MRDH).

 

Cyber resilience programmes 

This financial aid allows HSD to position itself more firmly to increase cyber resilience locally, regionally and nationally. Digitalisation creates many opportunities but also vulnerabilities. Security and privacy are not always incorporate in the design of new technology. Furthermore, cyberattacks and incidents increase every year. Twenty percent of all SMEs are confronted with successful cyber-attacks.

 

The grants allow HSD to take steps to enhance cyber resilience in the Hague, the province of South-Holland and nationally. It also allows the organisation to match the knowledge and skills of public and private partners with the cyber security questions and issues of businesses.

 

Kansen voor West  

The REACT-EU fund is part of the ‘Kansen voor West’ (Opportunities for West) programme that aims to strengthen the local economy by funding businesses through subsidies. The lion’s share of the programme is funded through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) fund.

 

The funds will be used by Security Delta (HSD) with two specific goals in mind. The first goal is to increase awareness of cybersecurity amongst SMEs, by bridging the gap between knowledge and skills that are required for safe digitalisation of SMEs. Without these skills and competencies, operating costs will increase, and our economy’s vulnerability will increase.

 

The second goal for which these funds will be used is to solve the mismatch between supply and demand, to increase economic opportunities of the digital transition for cybersecurity businesses. To achieve this goal, HSD will launch an initiative to determine the size of this mismatch, in order to formulate concrete human capital solutions. This goal will also be reached by connecting talent to employers. These matches will allow businesses (and therefore the economy) to grow, while increasing cyber resilience across the board.

 

Sectoral approach to cyber resilience 

Security Delta (HSD) is also starting a programme to increase cyber resilience amongst business owners across six essential sectors in the South-Holland region, an initiative made possible in part by the Metropolitan Region Rotterdam the Hague. Saskia Noordewier, manager Innovation Liaisons at HSD said the following: “We will be focusing on the sectors Life Sciences & Health, Water, Logistics, Manufacturing, Maritime/Harbor, and Aerospace.”

 

HSD will first identify specific cybersecurity issues and make an analysis. Following this, organisations will be linked up with industry experts, so solutions can be provided during roundtables and market consultation sessions.

 

Cyber resilience center for Greenport West-Holland 

The Digital Trust Centre (DTC), part of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, is granting Security Delta (HSD) subsidies to setup a Cyber Resilience Center for Greenport West-Holland. This is to become the leading centre of expertise and information hub for cybersecurity within the entire chain of the horticultural sector. It is an initiative by Greenport West-Holland, HSD, Royal Flora Holland, Interpolis-Achmea, Delphy, Dutch Fresh Port/VBO, Hoogendoorn Automatisering, Greenhouse Horticulture Netherlands, The Hague University of Applied Sciences, the province of South-Holland and GroentenFruit Huis.

 

The initiative fits firmly with the DTC Cyber Resilience subsidy scheme, which encourage groups of companies in non-critical sectors to work together to raise their cyber resilience levels. The primary task of the cyber resilience center will be to provide clear information that will help companies protect themselves from cyber incidents.

 

Bert Feskens of HSD and programme manager of the Cyber Resilience Centre Greenport West-Holland:” Through the cyber resilience centre we will provide actionable advice at different maturity levels for entrepreneurs in the chain. We will also encourage companies to actively share best-practices on how they deal with cyber threats so that they can learn from and with each other. A good basis of trust is of great importance for this. In addition, we are investigating how we can best share threat intel with companies within the chain. And we will facilitate the necessary platform to do so.”

 

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