Netherlands Invests €10.5 Million in Cybersecurity Projects
Amsterdam, Thursday, 9 January 2025.
The Netherlands enhances digital resilience by funding six projects, fostering public-private collaboration to counter cyber threats.
Strategic Investment in Digital Defense
The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) has allocated €10.5 million to fund six innovative cybersecurity projects, with private parties contributing an additional €1.5 million to the initiative [1][2]. This substantial investment, announced on January 8, 2025, is part of the Knowledge and Innovation Covenant (KIC) and aligns with the country’s Security, Key Technologies, and Digitisation Knowledge and Innovation Agendas [1].
Project Diversity and Academic Leadership
The funded projects span across leading Dutch academic institutions, each focusing on critical aspects of cybersecurity [1][3]. Delft University of Technology leads two significant initiatives: developing safer online platforms and governance, and advancing AI-driven software error detection and prevention. The University of Amsterdam is tackling semiconductor security and supply chain resilience, while Leiden University focuses on learning from cybersecurity success stories [3].
Maritime Infrastructure Protection
A standout project is NEPTARGOS at Tilburg University, which aims to protect North Sea maritime infrastructure [2]. This interdisciplinary initiative brings together universities, civil society organizations, research institutions, and large companies to develop an adaptive Cyber-Physical Security (CPS) governance framework. The project will focus on implementing security-by-design and resilience-by-design principles for modern cyber-physical systems in maritime environments [2].
Public-Private Collaboration
The program emphasizes close collaboration between knowledge institutions, private sector partners, and government entities [2]. NWO is providing nearly €9 million in funding, while private parties contribute €1.5 million to these research initiatives [2]. This collaborative approach ensures that research outcomes can be directly implemented to strengthen the Netherlands’ practical digital resilience capabilities [1].