Mayor of The Hague Visits HSD Campus

On 9 June, Mayor Jan van Zanen paid a short visit to the HSD Campus as part of his cycle tour along the IT Security Campus, including The Hague Tech, Yes!Delft and HSD.  HSD director Joris den Bruinen welcomed the Mayor and accompanied him to the IoT Forensics Lab of the University of Applied Sciences Leiden. Jos Griffioen explained why this lab is located at the HSD Campus in The Hague and how the collaboration with HSD partners such as the NFI, Europol, Ministry of Justice & Security and various other organisations is shaped. One of the interns of the University of Applied Sciences Leiden explained what kind of Internet of Things (IoT) product he is researching for forensic investigation. In addition, Saskia de Jong of Watch Nederland, part of Terres des Hommes, gave an elevator pitch about their organisation, projects (such as Sweetie 2.0 with Volto Labs) and collaborations to combat online child abuse.

In the following conversation, attention was paid to 'privacy-proof data sharing' and the use of Artificial Intelligence applications (as part of the National AI Coalition (NLAIC) and the national investment programme). They also spoke about the cybersecurity company Cybersprint, which grew from 1 to 65 employees in just over five years, partly due to a capital investment from InnovationQuarter (IQ). Another organisation that was mentioned is the company and platform 'Meld een Vermoeden', where low-threshold reports of possible criminal activities contribute to public order and safety, which is a core task of the Mayor and municipality.

Worth mentioning as well was the collaboration in the field of cyber resilience between the horticultural sector through Greenport West Holland and HSD as part of the growth and digitalisation agenda of the Economic Board Zuid Holland (EBZ). Finally, the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE) was introduced, an organisation originated after a major international cybersecurity conference held in The Hague a few years ago. All these parties flourish through their collaboration in the ecosystem; resulting in concrete contributions to a more secure world, growth of jobs in The Hague and the further expansion of The Hague as an international city of Peace, Justice and Security.

The Corona regulations were strictly followed during the visit.