CyberResilience Boost: Promoting resilience against cyber threats
ClosedDescription
The main objective of the call is to foster collaboration between the academic and private sectors through projects and to strengthen resilience to cyber threats by achieving the sub-objectives formulated for each support area: -Capacity development and skills development: the aim is to build and expand national and European capacity and expertise in the field of cyber security through intensive education and training. It will also support the development of new training programmes, targeting both current professionals and potential talent from the younger generation. -Promoting cross-sectoral and international cooperation: supported projects will aim to strengthen cooperation between the academic sector, the private sector and public institutions. The aim is not only to share experiences and best practices, but also to support the implementation of the joint development of innovative technological solutions that will help to effectively address new challenges in the field of cyber security. -Cybersecurity Awareness Raising: Here, the aim is to raise public and stakeholder awareness of the importance of cybersecurity, current threats and how to protect against them, which is essential for building a resilient cyber environment. Projects should include the design and implementation of awareness-raising campaigns and educational programmes that will contribute to society-wide understanding of and ability to respond to cyber incidents. Supported projects must focus on at least one of the above areas. The link to the supported areas must be described in the project proposal. Further information available on Národní úřad pro kybernetickou a informační bezpečnost - Výzvy (gov.cz)
Beneficiary & submission
The project proposal will be submitted by the applicant via the application form attached to this call for proposals. The proposal will include the mandatory annexes and any other annexes that the applicants decide to attach in order to demonstrate the eligibility, quality and applicability of the results, the suitability of the proposed mechanism for their application in the context of sustainability, or other parameters of the project.
For each project, a member of the NCC-CZ Council will be appointed by the NCC-CZ Council to manage the evaluation process, based on the submission and the sectoral focus of the project. As part of the evaluation, the NCC-CZ administrators will assess the formal compliance of the submitted project proposal with the requirements of the call and will carry out an assessment of the acceptability of the project in terms of the substantive requirements for projects. An independent evaluator will assess the quality and compliance with the material requirements of the projects in accordance with the Terms of Reference of the NCC-CZ and this call.
Further information available on Národní úřad pro kybernetickou a informační bezpečnost - Výzvy (gov.cz)
Further information
Projects implemented under this call will be funded on the basis of actual costs.
The budget for individual projects should range from CZK 250,000 (EUR 10,000) to CZK 750,000 (EUR 30,000). This financial allocation allows flexibility in the scope and ambition of the projects, while setting financial limits to ensure an efficient and fair distribution of funds.
Although projects may be funded up to 100% of eligible costs, the financial support awarded to a project may be less than the amount requested in the application. The decision on the final amount of the grant will depend on the quality of the project application, the consistency of the expected results with the proposed budget and the structure of the individual costs envisaged.
Beneficiaries will be required to regularly document the actual expenditure associated with the implementation of the project. Details of the frequency and form of reporting will be specified in the grant agreement.
Applicants must ensure that the project proposal complies with conditions that prevent the financing of the project from giving rise to unlawful indirect State aid within the meaning of the relevant European legislation or to double funding.
The following types of organisations are eligible to participate in this call and meet the criteria set out in the EU Digital Europe programme:
-Private sector: companies and enterprises (SMEs, start-ups) operating in the field of information technology, cybersecurity or other relevant sectors interested in developing and implementing innovative solutions to increase cyber resilience.
-Educational and research organisations: organisations dedicated to research, education or awareness-raising in the field of cybersecurity that have experience in cybersecurity projects and are able to contribute to the dissemination of best practices and research results.
-Consortia and partnerships: groups of organisations, which may include combinations of the above entities, working together on common projects. These consortia should be able to effectively coordinate activities and resources to achieve the objectives of the call.
Rules for avoiding conflict of interest: in the framework of the adoption of control mechanisms for the launch and implementation of the call, the National Coordination Centre has taken measures to avoid conflicts of interest, including the adoption of a confidentiality undertaking by members of the project team, members of the Council of the National Coordination Centre, as well as members of the General Assembly of the consortium and other staff of our cooperating partner. Other measures to be mentioned include the familiarisation and signing of the Code of Ethics by all relevant staff.
Public support cannot be cumulated with other public support for the same eligible expenditure, i.e. earmarked funds cannot be drawn from different sources. The aid will be granted to relevant entities under the de minimis regime in accordance with Regulation (EU) 1407/2013 on the application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to de minimis aid.
Further information available on Národní úřad pro kybernetickou a informační bezpečnost - Výzvy (gov.cz)