Cybersecurity Innovation and Development Funding Programme (LU-CID-2024-01) Strengthening Cybersecurity Innovation in Luxembourg

After the submission of the project proposal with all required administrative information, the technical evaluation of the project is carried out by the NC3. The NC3 provides feedback on the quality of the proposal from a technical standpoint and, if required, provides support to the applicant. During the technical evaluation period, the NC3 selects a maximum of 12 projects to be funded. Luxinnovation, the Luxembourg Innovation Agency carries out a due diligence check of proposers and provides, if needed, support with regard to the administrative and financial aspects of the proposal.

Proposers whose projects will have been selected will be invited to submit their project proposal and request for funding via the Financial Aid for research and development projects (R&D) on MyGuichet platform[1]. The required documents for the project submission on MyGuichet remain the same. The funding request will then be instructed by the Ministry of the Economy.

[1] https://guichet.public.lu/fr/entreprises/financement-aides/aides-recherche-developpement/rdi/aides-rdi.html

This call aims at supporting the development of projects, activities, services and solutions that serve at least one of the following objectives:

1-Supporting the development of cybersecurity start-ups via the creation of technical and non-technical cybersecurity solutions

The call seeks to support the development of innovative technical and non-technical cybersecurity start-ups. The assessment of this type of project will be done according to the innovativeness rather than the technicality of the proposed solution, aiming at meeting yet uncovered needs and bringing new types of solutions to the national market.

2-Promoting the growth of local entities developing affordable cybersecurity assessment or testing tools & services

The purpose is to increase the offer in cybersecurity testing and assessment tools and services on the national market, both for infrastructure and products, with a specific focus on the accessibility and affordability for SMEs. The innovation of these projects would reside in the fact of creating, or adapting existing solutions to cover the specific needs of SMEs. As an example, the call also supports the development of easily accessible self-assessment tools which will cover key obligations of existing regulations (i.e. Cybersecurity Act, NIS2) or upcoming ones (i.e. Cyber Resilience Act), to facilitate the process or preparation of compliance for SMEs.

Solutions or products developed under this call could be considered for integration in the Cybersecurity Testing Platform operated by the NC3, and their integration is eligible to be funded via this call.

3-Supporting the setup of cybersecurity services with sustainable open-source business models

Cybersecurity solutions that operate under an open-source business model are key to ensure the resilience of the cybersecurity ecosystem. The focus of the call is on the development of sustainability models for existing, or emerging, open-source cybersecurity projects.

4-Promoting the development of innovative approaches for enhancing cybersecurity skills for SMEs

This objective focuses on projects that design, develop and propose innovative trainings and approaches for the development of cybersecurity skills for SMEs and addressing their specific needs. Moreover, approaches covering reskilling, upskilling or talent development capabilities can be supported, including the development of training environments for Cyber Range Platforms[1]. The existing national Cyber Range infrastructure can be provided by the NC3 for the purpose of the call.

[1] A Cyber Range Platform is a virtual environment that enables organizations to simulate cyber combat training, system/network development, testing and benchmarking.