CICERO: the only Cervera Cybersecurity Network, Launched to Focus Research on the Needs of Companies
The partners of CICERO, which has an investment of 3.5 million euros and is led by Gradiant and integrated with CEIT, Fidesol, i2CAT and ITCL Technology Centre, meet today in Seville to start working on R+D+I with a focus on cybersecurity and attract research talent
The project aims to foster collaboration and synergies between technology centres in order to maximise innovation and socio-economic impact and to promote technology transfer through different areas of research
CICERO, the only Cervera cybersecurity network, with 3.5 million euros in funding, starts today 28 May, with the launch meeting of this national alliance, led by Gradiant, and driven to direct research towards the needs of companies.
At a meeting that took place this morning at the School of Computer Engineering in Seville, headquarters of JNIC 2024, the CICERO partners, Gradiant, CEIT, Fidesol, i2CAT and ITCL Technology Centre, have laid the foundations to start working on R&D&I in cybersecurity, aimed at transfer, as well as the generation and recruitment of research talent in cybersecurity.
The project, which will run until 2025, aims to establish the cluster of technology centres as a benchmark for research and development in cybersecurity technologies, foster collaboration and synergies to maximise innovation and socio-economic impact, promote effective technology transfer through different areas of research, establish mechanisms to protect the intellectual property generated and develop specialised training programmes focused on Cervera technology for researchers and technicians.
Areas of research
The CICERO partners will promote technology transfer through the following areas of research:
Identification challenges
We help organisations to understand the threats and vulnerabilities to which they are exposed and improve their risk management with this information. Key here are technologies that provide cyber intelligence, such as honeypots, vulnerability identification technologies, and risk analysis methodologies.
Protection challenges
We help organisations improve the robustness of their information systems and data networks against cyber-attacks. In this function, technologies to improve security in network protocols and the implementation of these, which improve security in cyber-physical systems and access control, stand out. It is also essential to ensure protection in new data networking paradigms, such as virtualization of network functions.
Detection challenges
Early detection of cybersecurity events for the defence of organisations’ information systems. Due to the increasing digitalisation of activities and processes in companies, the main challenge is to develop technologies that enable the detection of suspicious events in the increasingly complex data systems and networks. Technologies based on the massive processing of information, correlation and statistical analysis are key to ensure detection of events.
Challenges in response and recovery
In the event of a cyber security incident, a rapid, coordinated and informed response is required to ensure resilience, i.e. that the organisation’s information systems and data networks are restored to a known, expected and secure state. This requires research into orchestration technologies, rapid reconfiguration of data networks using software-defined networks to isolate and contain compromised systems, and forensic analysis to determine the impact of the cyber security incident.
CICERO, recognised as a CERVERA Network of Excellence, is financed by the Ministry of Science and Innovation through the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI), as part of the General State Budget 2023 and the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
