30 Jun 2016 New Organisation to build EU cybersecurity R&I and market
The act for the creation of the European Cyber Security Organisation (ECSO) ASBL has been officially signed on 13th June in Brussels. ECSO is a fully self-financed non-for-profit association (ASBL) under the Belgian law. As founder member, EOS – ACN – GUARDTIME – TELETRUST and SECUNET are cosignatory and also represented in the Board of Directors.
ECSO is an industry-led organisation with members including a wide variety of stakeholders such as large European companies, SMEs and Start-ups, research centres, universities, clusters and association as well as European Member State’s local, regional and national administrations, countries part of the European Economic Area (EEA) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and H2020 associated countries.
The main objective of ECSO is to support all types of initiatives or projects that aim to develop, promote, encourage European cybersecurity, and in particular to:
- Foster and protect from cyber threats the growth of the European Digital Single Market;
- Develop the European cybersecurity market and the growth of a competitive European cybersecurity and ICT industry, with an increased market position;
- Develop and implement European cybersecurity solutions for the critical steps of trusted supply chains, in sectoral applications where Europe is a leader.
ECSO is engaged in taking concrete actions to achieve these objectives by:
- Collaborate with the European Commission and national public administrations to promote Research and Innovation (R&I) in cybersecurity;
- Propose a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) and a Multiannual Roadmap with its regular updates;
- Foster market development and investments in demonstration projects and pilots to facilitate bringing innovation to cybersecurity market;
- Foster competitiveness and growth of the European cybersecurity industry (large companies and SME) as well as end users / operators through innovative cybersecurity technologies, applications, services, solutions;
- Support the widest and best market uptake of European innovative cybersecurity technologies and services for professional and private use;
- Promote and assist in the definition and implementation of a European cybersecurity industrial policy to encourage the use of European cybersecurity solutions as well as secure and trustworthy European ICT solutions to increase digital autonomy;
- Support the development and the interests of the entire cybersecurity and ICT security ecosystem (including education, training awareness, etc.).
In January 20, 2016 a preparation workshop for the “Contractual Public-Private Partnership” between the European Commission, Member States and the European Cyber Security Industry took place in Brussels. The workshop aimed to brainstorm on the concept of a Public-Private Partnership. As the result of the workshop 5 working groups of industry representatives were formed led by EOS, CNR, ACN, Guardtime representing the Estonian ICT Association and TELETRUST to create ECSO.
