In the domain of Cybersecurity Research and innovation, European scientists hold pioneering positions in fields such as cryptography, formal methods, or secure components. Yet this excellence on focused domains does not translate into larger-scale, system-level advantages. Too often, scattered and small teams fall short of critical mass capabilities, despite demonstrating world-class talent and results. Europe’s strength is in its diversity, but that strength is only materialised if we cooperate, combine, and develop common lines of research. Given today’s societal challenges, this has become more than an advantage – an urgent necessity. Various approaches are being developed to enhance collaboration at many levels. Europe’s framework programs have sprung projects in cybersecurity over the past thirty years, encouraging international cooperation and funding support actions. More recently, the Cybersecurity PPP has brought together public institutions and industrial actors around common roadmaps and projects. While encouraging, these efforts have highlighted the need to break the mould, to step up investments and intensify coordination. The SPARTA proposal brings together a unique set of actors at the intersection of scientific excellence, technological innovation, and societal sciences in cybersecurity. Strongly guided by concrete and risky challenges, it will setup unique collaboration means, leading the way in building transformative capabilities and forming world-leading expertise centres. Through innovative governance, ambitious demonstration cases, and active community engagement, SPARTA aims at re-thinking the way cybersecurity research is performed in Europe across domains and expertise, from foundations to applications, in academia and industry.

The iProcureNet project aims to build an EU network of organisations centred on the procurement of security solutions through the appointed iProcureNet National Contacts (IPNCs), together with a larger community of people composed of individuals and experts interested in procurement. Via the established Network+Community, iProcureNet will facilitate collaboration and dialogue among procurers, enabling: i) coordinated sharing and analysis of procurement trends included in the investment plans, ii) development of common and standardised practices from the technical, legal and financial perspectives, and iii) establishing pathways for joint procurement (JP) of innovative and new to market solutions, research services, and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products in the field of security. iProcureNet will develop the iProcureNet Toolbox including a comprehensive methodology, guidelines and a knowledge database of current procurement practices and processes in Europe; and will create a firm foundation for the set-up of Established Buyers Groups (EBGs) – countries which, using the iProcureNet Toolbox, have found common ground and are ready to procure. Close collaboration with related PCP and PPI actions and the practitioner innovation networks will be a key component of the project. Ultimately, iProcureNet, will aim to create a stepping stone to future collaboration in the form of a future investment plan for collaborative procurement actions, and to develop detailed pro-innovation procurement strategies. The Network+Community will be supported by i) the iProcureNet Online Platform (IPOP) enabling professional social networking and online dialogue on good practices and procurers’ needs; ii) a sustainable organisational set-up composed of well organised bodies and processes, and iii) appropriate communication and dissemination activities including Annual Conferences, trainings and workshops. The consortium includes 15 partners, out of which 10 are procurement agencies.

Constant presence of risks and uncertainties define contemporary societies. The Europe 2020 strategy names security as one of the main societal challenges for the next decade. To anticipate and address risks in a timely manner, and to achieve smart growth, the Europe 2020 strategy calls for strong risk and security governance. Although national policies on and strategies of risk governance have been developed in many European Union member countries, but recurring events demonstrate the lack of risk and security governance capacities, inconsistent decision-making and execution procedures within the governments and society at large. Risk and security governance education helps to develop resilient countries that are able to cope with economic, social, environmental and cultural challenges. However, risk and security governance education was very fragmented and discipline-bounded (it developed mainly from the public health, environmental and engineering studies) and thus often fails to consider risk in its full complexity and social context. Due to their location, the Baltic – Nordic countries have become the northern frontier of the European Union, and thus, eight EU countries and Norway face various common risk and security governance challenges that require regional development through transnational cooperation. Working together, streamlining their resources to ensure an effective and joined-up response could help achieve intended results that would lead towards the creation of strong and integrated societies.The aim of the project is to enhance risk and security governance capacities in the Baltic-Nordic region via the development of (1) the Academic Community of Practices (network) in Risk and Security Governance and (2) the interdisciplinary educational methodology based on digitalization of learning, teaching and training.The objectives:1. to exchange know-how and expertise in Risk and Security Governance via strategic partnerships of Baltic-Nordic academic communities;2. to develop an interdisciplinary curriculum on risk and security studies that will be integrated in the study and training programmes of the Baltic-Nordic academic institutions;3. to establish a learning infrastructure using advanced and innovative learning and teaching technologies for enhancing risk and security governance awareness and competences; 4. to enhance awareness and competences in risk and security governance of various stakeholders and professional groups to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the potential effects of all types of disasters and emergencies. 6 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), namely University of Stavanger (UiS), University of Jyväskylä (JYU), Mid Sweden University (MIUN), General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy (LKA), Tallinn University of Technology (TUT) and Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) from 5 the Baltic-Nordic region countries (Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden) were partners implementing this project. The HEIs cooperation was based on the synergy of specific competencies and research expertise in dealing with a specific regional risk and security issue of each project partner. Project results came from activities which was stem from the aim and objectives of the project and are clustered into the development of:1)collaborative network of partner HEIs acting as the Baltic-Nordic academic community of practices (CoP) concept;2)interdisciplinary curriculum on risk and security governance comprising of a set of courses and focuses on 3 risk and security governance areas: Assessing and understanding risks; Managing risks and security; Risk communication. Each course encompasses innovative teaching methods and blended learning technologies;3)learning infrastructure encompassing Learning Management System (LMS) consisting of Moodle and Massive Open Online Course (MOOC); and open access Risk Laboratory;4)awareness and competences in risk and security governance of various stakeholders using the MOOC in Risk communication and disseminating the curriculum and training methodology developed.This project has set the foundations for interdisciplinary (i.e. bridging technologies, governance and risk/security issues) and holistic approaches to risk and security studies and training in the Baltic – Nordic region. It encourages a long-term perspective in decision-making processes, critical thinking, and holistic as well as innovative approaches to problem-solving for creating resilient societies. It has promoted the idea of comprehensive risk governance that was lacking in the curriculum of higher education. Under the framework of the project we developed a collaborative network of partner higher education institutions (HEIs) aiming to consolidate fragmented knowledge, information and expertise in the area of risk and security governance. The project integrated different competences that came up from different countries in the region.