€4.2m fund to boost SME cyber security

The new revenue will further strengthen the role of the State’s National Cyber Security Centre and build up networks with industry, academia, and research bodies.

A €4.2 million fund has been set up to provide financial help to companies to boost their cyber security.

The new revenue will further strengthen the role of the State’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and build up networks with industry, academia, and research bodies.

The National Cyber Security Coordination and Development Centre (NCC-IE) project for Ireland will run for two years.

It is being jointly funded by an EU contribution of €2m, and €2.2m from the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC).

The project will begin in the autumn and will meet national obligations under EU cyber laws.

DECC Minister of State Ossian Smyth said: “This is an exciting new development for the NCSC. It is important that we play our part as a member of the EU in seizing the cybersecurity opportunities as regards research, innovation, technological development, and commercial exploitation.” 

The role of the NCC-IE project, which sits within the NCSC, is to coordinate with industry, academia, and research to develop awareness of funding supports and to distribute EU and national funds to industry, notably small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), with the aim of strengthening the uptake of state-of-the-art cybersecurity solutions.

In a statement, the DECC said the NCSC will work with the national industry cluster, Cyber Ireland, on the project.

“This will include a focus on supporting indigenous Irish enterprises to build industrial capacity in cybersecurity,” the department said.

This project was among a number successful applications from Ireland under the Digital Europe Cybersecurity call for proposals that closed in February.

The DECC said approximately €7.8m of EU funding is being provided to various parties in Ireland to improve cybersecurity capabilities.