The Center for Innovation and Competence «CYBER.ACTION» has been launched at Lviv Polytechnic. Our University implements this project in cooperation with the Ministry of Digital Transformation.
Oleh Matviikiv, First Vice-Rector of Lviv Polytechnic, greeted the participants of the event:
– The creation of the Center is an extremely important, topical and urgent task. We are glad that Lviv Polytechnic is joining this project. Today we have to fight in many spheres, including cyber protection. Therefore, it is important to train qualified specialists in the field of information security. The University and its Departments should take an active part in the development of modern technologies, the analysis of algorithms and the study of new methods for detecting cyber attacks and finding out effective protection against them.
The First Vice-Rector also assured that Lviv Polytechnic is ready to work on developing programs that will help in cyber protection.
– Our University has the Department of Information Security and the Department of Information Technology Security, which have extensive cooperation with IT companies in Ukraine and abroad. The expertise and development of the Departments will make it possible to successfully implement all the Center’s tasks, and above all to create a knowledge hub for training specialists for various organizations and further participation in national and international projects, added Oleh Matviikiv.
Heorhiy Dubynskyi, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, took part in the presentation of the «CYBER.ACTION» Center for Innovation and Competence. In his welcome speech, the representative of the authorities noted:
– This will be a multidimensional work. It is important that we could join active cyber defense and take care of social dimension. It will be the first project that we will implement in this Center and which will strengthen the field of services and help veterans change their lives. Today, there is a great shortage of high-quality cyber security specialists in the labour market, particularly among private companies. Also, we should not forget how last fall the enemy not only attacked the energy system, but also launched massive attacks on the digital infrastructure. Therefore, it is important that each region has people who can take care of information security.
«CYBER.ACTION» Regional Center for Innovation and Competence will operate in six universities:
- Lviv Polytechnic National University
- National Aviation University
- Kharkiv National University of Radio Electronics
- National Technical University Dnipro Polytechnic
- Zhytomyr Polytechnic State University
- Cherkasy State Technological University
Andrii Paziuk, coordinator of the «CYBER.ACTION» Center for Innovation and Competence, presented the project, highlighting its important components. Speaking about the prerequisites for the creation of such centers, he spoke on the following issues:
- Problems of digital sustainability
- Limited scientific research cooperation in the field of IT and cyber security
- Brain drain, fragile innovation policy
- Weak digital resilience of local communities and businesses
- A large number of threats
- Significant intellectual potential for innovation
- Ukraine has become a training ground for various cyber attack scenarios
- A cyber war is being waged against Ukraine
- A large number of committed cybercrimes
- More than 100 universities train IT specialists
- Availability of specialized research institutions
- Significant unrealized innovation potential
Among the strategic tasks of the «CYBER.ACTION» Center for Innovation and Competence there are:
- Hub of knowledge
- Cooperation with vendors
- Integration into the EU cybersecurity and innovation ecosystem
- European Digital Innovation Hubs
- Access for medium and small enterprises to the latest technologies
- Support for innovative activities
Ivan Opirskyi, head of the Department of Information Security, ICTA, and head of the «CYBER.ACTION» Center for Innovation and Competence, spoke about the projects that the Center will implement at Lviv Polytechnic.
Associate Professor Olha Mykhailova, who is responsible for science and innovation at the Department of Information Security, presented the concept of the premises for the «CYBER.ACTION» Center for Innovation and Competence.
Valerii Dudykevych, the former head of the Department of Information Security, and founder of the School of Cyber Security and Information Protection, emphasized the importance of the development of this Center and wished the team fruitful cooperation and great achievements.
Roman Kuten paid special attention to the first project of the Center – «Retraining veterans for municipal centers providing administrative services and IT roles through networks of competence centers».
