Laurea Delivers CyberSecPro Workshops, Trainings, and IEEE Special Session with EU Partners

Laurea has been at the forefront of cybersecurity education and research, making significant contributions nationally and internationally. Recent achievements highlight the university’s commitment to fostering innovation and capacity building in cybersecurity.

CyberSecPro Summer School: Nurturing Cybersecurity Talent

Laurea’s involvement in the EU-funded CyberSecPro project has been instrumental in developing cybersecurity professionals. The recently concluded CyberSecPro Summer School brought together over 25 experts and trainees from 27 EU countries for an intensive programme.

Laurea’s Paresh Rathod, a seasoned educator and thematic leader in Cyber RDI, along with colleague and BIT programme coordinator Pasi Kämppi, shared their expertise with the participants. This collaborative effort underscores Laurea’s role in shaping the future of cybersecurity through knowledge transfer and skill development.

Photo: Laurea experts Paresh Rathod & Pasi Kämppi collaboration with EU partners.  

Driving Innovation Through Research and Collaboration

Laurea’s impact extends beyond education. Paresh Rathod, in collaboration with Professor Nineta Polemi (University of Piraeus, Greece), conducted a special workshop on sector-specific cybersecurity professional training. This workshop explored the achievements, challenges, and future directions of cybersecurity training, benefiting from Professor Polemi’s extensive experience in EU cybersecurity.

Furthermore, Paresh Rathod chaired a special session at the IEEE/ITMC 30th Edition of the International Conference on Engineering, Technology, and Innovation (ICE 2024), focusing on how EU projects foster innovation and capacity building. Professor Dr Kai Rannenberg (Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany) co-chaired the session with prominent professionals on the technical committee, which provided a platform for Laurea colleagues and scholars to showcase their research and innovation work.

Photo: Laurea Experts offered Workshops, Trainings and Special Session.

Research Excellence and Impact

Laurea’s commitment to research is evident in the three research papers presented at the IEEE conference. First, the work of Rauno Pirinen, Paresh Rathod and Professor Polemi on a novel model for resilient learning in critical infrastructure protection and resilience highlights the university’s focus on addressing critical cybersecurity challenges. Additionally, a paper co-authored with the University of Piraeus explored the sectoral cybersecurity skills gap, specifically in the maritime domain. Pasi Kämppi presented research on an evaluation methodology for civil protection exercises, contributing to the development of effective response strategies.

Laurea’s participation in the EU Innovation project INEGMA-E² also resulted in a research paper presented by Kämppi and penned by Harri Ruoslahti and Laurea colleagues co-authored with EU project partners, demonstrating the university’s collaborative approach to addressing complex challenges.

This summer, Laurea’s expat Paresh Rathod, who also represents Laurea and Team Finland as co-chair in the European Cybersecurity Organisation (ECSO) WG in Brussels and expert in the EU cybersecurity agency (ENISA) in Athens, contributed four weeks to development work, showcasing Laurea’s commitments.

These achievements underscore Laurea’s role in fostering international cooperation and partnership as a leading EU cybersecurity education, research, and innovation institution. By fostering collaboration, sharing knowledge, and addressing critical challenges, Laurea contributes substantially to building a secure digital future for Europe in line with Laurea and Finland’s Strategic Vision 2030.

Read more about the CyberSecPro project

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