Transition to the Cybersecurity Technologies Action Agenda

The National Technology Strategy (NTS) Cybersecurity Technologies (CST) was published in early 2024. It formulates how the Ministry of Economic Affairs wants to stimulate innovation in the field of cybersecurity based on seven ambitions for 2035. The KIA Digitalization has been asked to draw up an Action Agenda Cybersecurity Technologies based on the NTS CST. This Action Agenda determines how the ambitions of NTS CST are realized, building on existing networks and instruments such as CS4NL. Top Sector ICT and dcypher will draw up the Action Agenda in collaboration with relevant parties in the public and private domain. This means that the CS4NL program will be discontinued and that the ambitions and activities of CS4NL will be transferred to the new Action Agenda.

CS4NL

The CS4NL program, an initiative of dcypher and Top Sector ICT, has made significant progress in stimulating innovation in the field of cybersecurity in the Netherlands over the past year and a half. With 18 partners, including top sectors, industry associations, cyber organizations, ministries and knowledge institutions, solutions were developed for critical challenges in the field of cybersecurity. The focus was on seven core themes: security by design, safe data-driven work, safe connectivity, OT/IT security, cyber risk management, system or chain security, and cyber awareness, knowledge and skills.

The 18 partners joined forces within the CS4NL program and achieved results in a short time. The focus was on topics such as the exchange of threat information, autonomous IT/OT and supply chain security. A few figures:

• A total of more than €25 million in financing through various calls and subsidies.
• Support for more than 35 companies and research institutions for the development of innovative ideas, products and research in the field of cybersecurity.
• The establishment of consortia within various sectors to promote cooperation and knowledge development.
• More consortia (of research institutions and companies) will be announced at the end of 2024 once the results of the call 'Cybersecurity for digital resilience' from NWO and the call 'Cyber ​​resilience for critical chains and systems' from TKI have been announced.

Jos de Groot, director of Digital Economy at the Ministry of Economic Affairs: "The start of CS4NL was a bold step in our mission-driven top sector and innovation policy. At that time, innovation in the field of cybersecurity was not yet positioned so strongly as an innovation area. It was quite difficult to organize this within all ten top sectors. After a year of preparation, we started the CS4NL program in March 2023 as a joint initiative of dcypher and Top Sector ICT, which was subsidized by my Digital Economy directorate. CS4NL has since made a substantial contribution by bringing players together, developing a joint innovation agenda, organising calls for subsidies and setting up effective consortia, fully in line with the ambitions of the National Cybersecurity Strategy 2023-2028. CS4NL has therefore been a significant programme for us, especially because it is supported by all key parties in the public and private sectors involved in cyber innovation. CS4NL has created a head start for the next step: a strong national public-private innovation programme within the National Technology Strategy agenda for Cybersecurity Technologies.

Feedback from participants

The value of CS4NL's approach is evident from feedback from participants:

"The CS4NL programme offers support (…) by providing an extensive ecosystem for collaboration within top sectors such as Logistics, Life Sciences & Health and ICT. The programme plays a key role in promoting research and innovation in the field of cybersecurity in the Netherlands by stimulating collaboration and providing access to knowledge and resources." — Dr. Abhishta from the University of Twente & JAD

"The CS4NL programme has enabled parties to connect with a concrete goal in mind. This made it possible to take steps that were discussed during previous theme sessions. The programme offers the opportunity to provide answers to questions that are widely shared. The support that CS4NL offered for networking and the choice of a good starting point for the research proposal were invaluable. The need for cyber resilience is increasingly felt, and the CS4NL programme offers the Dutch business community the opportunity to take steps in this direction." — Albert Veenstra, Professor of International Trade and Logistics at the Rotterdam School of Management of Erasmus University