• Posted 22-Jun-2020

EU grants €38 million for protection of critical infrastructure against cyber threats

The Commission announced that it is committing more than €38 million, through Horizon 2020, the EU's research and innovation programme, to support several innovative projects in the field of protection of critical infrastructure against cyber and physical threats and making cities smarter and safer.

Three projects (SAFETY4RAILS, 7SHIELD and ENSURESEC) will work to improve prevention, detection, response and mitigation of cyber and physical threatsfor metro and railway networks, ground space infrastructure and satellites, as well as e-commerce and delivery services. Two additional projects (IMPETUS and S4ALLCITIES) aim at enhancing the resilience of cities' infrastructures and services and protecting citizens in case of security incidents in public spaces.

The projects are expected to start between June and October 2020 and will run for two years. The Research Executive Agency will manage the five selected projects and has finalised the preparation and signature of grant agreements with the beneficiaries.

The EU's financial contribution is provided in the form of grants that can be up to 100% of the project’s total budget. All projects were selected for funding under a competitive call for proposals Protecting the infrastructure of Europe and the people in the European smart cities, under the Societal Challenge 7 ‘Secure societies’ launched on 14 March 2019.

The support is part of the EU's commitment to build a strong cybersecurity culture and enhanced capabilities to resist and respond effectively to potential cyber threats and attacks.

Source: Digital Single Market News (https://bit.ly/3edsWQa)