MERIT Strengthens Cybersecurity Skills and Industry Collaboration: Project Meeting in Trento

The latest Face-to-Face General Assembly of the MERIT project took place in Trento, Italy, from 7 to 8 May 2026, hosted by Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK). The meeting brought together project partners, Advisory Board members, academic representatives and industry experts to review project progress, exchange good practices and coordinate the next steps towards the sustainability and long-term impact of MERIT results.

Held at FBK’s premises, the General Assembly provided an important framework for discussing the implementation of MERIT activities, upcoming priorities, technical handover, innovation ecosystem development, exploitation opportunities and the sustainability plan. These sessions supported the consortium’s shared commitment to strengthening advanced digital skills across Europe and ensuring the continuity of the project’s outcomes beyond its lifetime.

The meeting agenda included sessions dedicated to project progress, best practices and lessons learnt, demonstrations, upcoming calls and proposals, technical handover planning, innovation ecosystem development, sustainability, and feedback from the Advisory Board. The discussions reinforced the importance of collaboration between higher education institutions, research organisations, innovation actors and industry partners in responding to Europe’s evolving digital transformation needs.

Cybersecurity, AI and Digital Resilience at the Centre of the International Industry Engagement Workshop

A key highlight of the General Assembly was the MERIT International Industry Engagement Workshop on Cybersecurity, organised on 7 May 2026 in a hybrid format, with participants joining both on-site in Trento and online.

The workshop brought together over 50 participants, including MERIT partners, Advisory Board members, and specialists from business, academia, research organisations and European innovation communities. It provided a valuable forum for exchange between higher education institutions and sector representatives, addressing current and emerging cybersecurity challenges, the impact of Artificial Intelligence, evolving European regulations and the advanced digital skills required to reinforce Europe’s capacity to respond to digital threats.

The workshop opened with a keynote presentation delivered by Matteo Meucci, CEO at Synapsed, entitled Building Trustworthy AI in Industry: Beyond Traditional Cybersecurity. The session explored the development of secure and trustworthy Artificial Intelligence systems across the software development lifecycle, addressing real risks in AI-assisted development and practical approaches to managing them. The presentation also highlighted the relevance of OWASP guidelines in supporting organisations to implement safer and more reliable AI systems.

The programme continued with a series of industry presentations offering practical perspectives on cybersecurity, regulatory compliance, data protection and cyber defence in a context increasingly shaped by Artificial Intelligence.

Tudor Damian, Co-founder, Cybersecurity, AI & Cloud Advisor at D3 Cyber, delivered the presentation Securing Your Company’s Future: Cybersecurity Skills and Compliance in a Changing EU Landscape. His session examined the key cybersecurity skills required to implement and maintain compliance with evolving European legislation, including DORA, NIS2, the Cyber Resilience Act and the AI Act. The presentation underlined the need to move beyond checklist-based compliance and towards the development of genuine cybersecurity capabilities, particularly for SMEs.

Marian Călborean, Founder at OPTI Software, presented Safe AI and Business Guardrails: Hybrid Architecture Combining On-prem with Cloud for Data Privacy. His intervention focused on responsible AI adoption through hybrid architectures combining on-premises infrastructure and cloud environments. The session addressed privacy-first design, data protection, control of data flows and the implementation of practical business guardrails for organisations integrating AI solutions.

The final industry presentation was delivered by Vladimir Chiritescu, Systems Engineer at Veeam Software, on Next generation of Cyber Defense: Protecting Data in an AI World. The presentation focused on data protection and resilience strategies, the role of AI in modern cyber defence, and how organisations can prepare for continuously evolving cyber threats.

The workshop also included an interactive discussion on cybersecurity skills and workforce needs, followed by an open exchange and networking session. Participants reflected on the importance of connecting academic expertise with industry experience to develop relevant educational programmes aligned with the growing demand for cybersecurity specialists.

Advancing MERIT’s Mission through Collaboration and Innovation within the MERIT Ecosystem

The Trento General Assembly, together with the first International Industry Engagement Workshop of 2026, dedicated to Cybersecurity, reinforced MERIT’s role in fostering collaboration between academia, industry and innovation ecosystems. By combining project coordination sessions with expert-led discussions on cybersecurity and AI, the meeting and the event contributed to strengthening the project’s capacity to address real-world digital skills needs and support Europe’s digital resilience.

The recording of the Cybersecurity workshop is available on the Digital MERIT YouTube channel (@digitalmeriteu). More details about the presentations will soon be available on the MERIT website. You can also join the conversation on MERIT’s LinkedIn page (@Digital MERIT Project).

The MERIT International Industry Engagement Workshops series will continue the dialogue on advanced digital skills through two upcoming sessions dedicated to Artificial Intelligence (1 June 2026), and Internet of Things (16 June 2026).

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