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Securing the Future: Key Insights from the International Industry Engagement Workshop on Cybersecurity

On November 13, 2024, cybersecurity experts, researchers, and industry leaders from Europe gathered in a hybrid format for the International Industry Engagement Workshop on Cybersecurity, hosted as part of the Deep Tech Skills Days 2024. This collaborative session explored today’s trends in cybersecurity and shared a practical example of a cybersecurity platform that assures a 360 degrees protection.

Accessibility and Motivations to Study Master Level Advanced Digital Skills

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, advanced skills in areas like artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and cybersecurity have become fundamental for innovation and security. As Europe seeks to lead in digital transformation, there’s an increasing demand for highly skilled professionals. Meanwhile Eurostat data indicates the lack of ICT specialists and struggle to find ones.

Where IoT is Shaping the Future: Key Trends and Innovations Driving Industry Transformation

The Online International Industry Engagement Workshop on IoT brought together global experts, industry leaders, and academic professionals to explore the latest innovations, applications, and challenges in IoT. This dynamic event served as a platform for knowledge sharing, showcasing cutting-edge solutions, and fostering collaborations across a wide range of sectors.

MERIT: Shaping Europe’s Future in AI, Cybersecurity, and IoT

In an era defined by rapid technological advancements, acquiring the right skills is paramount to thriving in the European job market. The Master of Science in Smart, Secure, Interconnected Systems (MERIT) programme recognizes this demand and focuses on equipping students with in-demand expertise in three key domains: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity (CS), and the Internet of Things (IoT).
 

The challenges

The statistical figures show that two fifths of the EU workforce have limited or no digital skills. This complicates the fast transformation of the economy and digital innovations cannot be fully exploited in industry as well as in daily life.

Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), which summarizes relevant indicators of Europe’s digital performance and determines the evolution of EU Member States in the area of digital competitiveness, indicates a lack of digital skills, both in industry and society.

Currently, the existing education system is not capable of boosting the digital skill level. Modern master study programs are needed to increase the number of experts in the area of advanced digital skills.

Society edification and life-long learning programs are also needed to support requalification and upskilling of the existing working force.

At the same time the education programs must be aligned with the industry needs, therefore a close collaboration between different institutions (higher education schools, research centres, SME, Digital innovation hubs, etc.) is needed to develop the transferable digital skills.

  • Increase the reputation of consortium universities, as leaders in AI, IoT and cybersecurity areas, thus becoming a close-by expert to the society and industry of digital competencies.
  • Update the teaching staff skills through knowledge and synergy received from the collaboration of different stakeholders.
  • Stimulate the growth of advanced digital skills in Europe by attracting additional target groups to choose AI, IoT and Cybersecurity master studies or individual courses for an increase of gained skills.
  • Increase the synergy with different stakeholders of the study program, establishing productive and long-lasting collaboration links, maintaining the current ones and extending the network by including new stakeholders.
  • Assure the visibility of the project activities, study program results and benefit of digital skills.
  • Resume the AI competency map for assurance of recent and demanded students’ skill development.
  • Extend the potential of study program graduates by elaborating the learning outcomes built on the specialised and collaboration skills, needed by regional markets.
  • Increase the master study program, training recognition for the development of advanced digital skills, by getting study program quality approval on a national level.
  • Increase the course material accessibility, by applying recent learning material formats and environments.
  • Enhance study quality monitoring, by adapting data-analytic based solutions, iterative quality estimation and improvement methodologies.
  • Assure student-centred learning experience in targeted advanced digital skills by using recent and user-oriented learning methods.
  • Increase students’ collaboration skills in international and interdisciplinary teams.
  • Assure fluent integration of students to the market or to a future research career.
 

Advisory Board

Na Fu

Prof. Na Fu

Position and company:

Professor in Human Resource Management at Trinity Business School, Fellow at Trinity College Dublin.

Expertise:

Strategic, digital, and sustainable human resource management.
Tomas Krilavičius

Prof. Tomas Krilavičius

Position and company:

Dean of the Faculty of Informatics, Vytautas Magnum University.

Expertise:

Ph.D. in Hybrid Techniques for Hybrid Methods, with interests in AI, Language Technologies, and scientific infrastructures.
Raluca Apostol

Raluca Apostol

Position and company:

Co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Nestor.

Expertise:

Ph.D. in machine learning, specializing in engaging, developing, and retaining talent in hybrid work environments.

MERIT contributors network

Organizations contributing to MERIT project

Organizations contribute to MERIT project in different ways:

Participation in MERIThON, proposing challenges, mentoring the teams, sponsoring it, etc.

Participation in industry engagement workshops, presenting their experience, competencies or other relevant information.

Mentoring or teaching the MERIT study program students.

Participation in society edification activities.

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