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SFI-Sentre for forskningsdrevet innovasjon

NORCICS - Norwegian Center for Cybersecurity in Critical Sectors

Alternative title: NORCICS - Norsk senter for cybersikkerhet i kritiske sektorer

Awarded: NOK 96.0 mill.

NORCICS's vision is to contribute to making Norway the most securely digitalized country in the world, by improving the cyber security and resilience of its critical sectors, through supporting research-based innovation. The primary research objective of NORCICS is to develop innovative cyber-security solutions to address the needs of a highly dynamic ecosystem of socio-technical cyber-physical systems in critical sectors. In this way, NORCICS will contribute to the achievement of the strategic goals of the National Cybersecurity Strategy. The NORCICS research methodology adopts a holistic and systemic approach, addressing people, processes, and technology to safeguard critical sectors across cybersecurity core functions: identification, protection, detection, response, and recovery. The center's cybersecurity technologies research yields versatile methods and tools applicable across diverse sectors, validated through four distinct demonstrators targeting different critical sectors (energy, industry, health, smart districts). NORCICS employs a Technology Transfer model to ensure research relevance to user partners' needs, enhancing industry uptake of results. This model hinges on identifying industry problems, fostering collaborative efforts between industry and research partners to formulate and address research problems, develop solutions, validate them, and ultimately release them. Through annual 1-1 strategy meetings and workshops, NORCICS has pinpointed four key research areas, namely the cybersecurity challenges arising from the integration of Information Technology (IT) with Operational Technology; challenges arising from the use of 5G services; human and organizational issues of cybersecurity; and the use of data analytics, all in the context of industry’s digital transformation. In 2023, NORCICS organized seminars providing insights into industry challenges, facilitating trust, and mutual understanding. Two full-day meetings with industry partners explored secure digital transformation in healthcare at Innlandet Hospital and IT-OT integration at Yara, involving approximately 50 and 40 participants, respectively. The annual joint conference with NTNU CCIS in Trondheim attracted 150 participants and highlighted common themes through international speakers and panel discussions. Internationally, NORCICS actively engages in collaborations via its External Advisory Board, partnerships with top-tier global research institutions, co-organization of international conferences, and the submission of research and innovation proposals for European Commission funding. NORCICS diligently pursues and has been quite successful in securing additional funding and support for its activities, leveraging research and innovation projects funded by the NFR and the European Commission. Positive assessments of submitted proposals have led to the initiation of several projects, promoting industry-academia mobility and enhancing industry competence in cybersecurity through Industry PhD research projects. In 2023, NORCICS achieved success with numerous Research & Innovation proposals, securing funding from the European Union (HORIZON Europe, Digital Europe Programme, European Defence Fund) and the Research Council of Norway. Notably, the Digital Europe Programme project BRUA, led by NSM with partners the Research Council of Norway and NTNU, focuses on operationalizing the National Coordination Center of Norway (NCC-NO), fostering a cybersecurity community, and supporting businesses and public entities in enhancing cybersecurity solutions. The center collaborates with various research entities, including SFIs and FMEs, national industry clusters, and catapult centers. NORCICS aims to establish itself as an appealing and competent research environment in cybersecurity for critical sectors, with plans to educate over 18 PhD students and more than 7 postdoctoral researchers proficient in addressing society's cybersecurity needs. Some individuals have already been recruited and commenced their research work. Additionally, PhD students funded externally, along with industry and public PhD students, are actively engaged in projects closely aligned with ongoing NORCICS tasks.

The National Cybersecurity Strategy for Norway acknowledges the need to “address the (cybersecurity) challenges that will inevitably arise in conjunction with the rapid and far-reaching digitalization of Norwegian society”. Norway is one of the leading digital nations in the world. NORCICS’s vision is to contribute to making Norway the most securely digitalized country in the world, by improving the cyber security and resilience of its critical sectors, through supporting research-based innovation. NORCICS will follow a holistic, comprehensive and systemic approach addressing people, processes and technology to protect critical sectors throughout the cybersecurity core functions (identify, protect, detect, respond, recover). NORCICS adopts the Open Innovation Model, and the Technology Transfer model for joint industry-research groups research-based innovation, thus allowing its user partners to participate in shaping research and innovation roadmaps. Within NORCICS, the research is organized into three workpackages WP2 aims at improving our understanding of the cybersecurity-related issues in critical sectors; WP3 technologies aims at developing solutions for addressing these issues, whilst WP4 aims at validating and demonstrating these solutions in a number of critical sectors. Additionally, WP1 will maintain an innovation roadmap for all of NORCICS, WP2 is devoted to dissemination and knowledge transfer, and WP6 is the management workpackage. The consortium members have complementary expertise that collectively covers most of the areas of fundamental research, the sectorial domains and the technological applications of cybersecurity. The user partners come from both the public and the private sector and cover all the critical sectors addressed in NORCICS. Additionally, a number of internationally highly reputed centers active in the field of cybersecurity have confirmed their collaboration with NORCICS.

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Funding scheme:

SFI-Sentre for forskningsdrevet innovasjon

Thematic Areas and Topics

IKT forskningsområdeKommunikasjonsteknologiIKT forskningsområdeProgramvarer og tjenesterBransjer og næringerIKT-næringenAnvendt forskningAvanserte produksjonsprosesserAvansert produksjonsteknologi som fag og teknologi (ny fra 2015)Delportefølje Et velfungerende forskningssystemDelportefølje KvalitetLTP3 Nano-, bioteknologi og teknologikonvergensIKT forskningsområdeMenneske, samfunn og teknologiDigitalisering og bruk av IKTOffentlig sektorLTP3 Høy kvalitet og tilgjengelighetLTP3 Fagmiljøer og talenterAvanserte produksjonsprosesserDigitalisering og bruk av IKTPrivat sektorLTP3 Et kunnskapsintensivt næringsliv i hele landetBransjer og næringerGrunnforskningFornyelse og innovasjon i offentlig sektorInnovasjonsprosjekter og prosjekter med forpliktende brukermedvirkningLTP3 Styrket konkurransekraft og innovasjonsevneBransjer og næringerVareproduserende industriIKT forskningsområdeDigital sikkerhetIKT forskningsområdePolitikk- og forvaltningsområderDelportefølje InternasjonaliseringPortefølje Banebrytende forskningLTP3 IKT og digital transformasjonDigitalisering og bruk av IKTBransjer og næringerEnergi - NæringsområdeLTP3 Muliggjørende og industrielle teknologierInternasjonaliseringBransjer og næringerFinans og bankLTP3 Samfunnsikkerhet, sårbarhet og konfliktLTP3 Samfunnssikkerhet og beredskapFornyelse og innovasjon i offentlig sektorPortefølje Demokrati og global utviklingPolitikk- og forvaltningsområderDigitaliseringInternasjonaliseringInternasjonalt prosjektsamarbeidPortefølje Muliggjørende teknologierLTP3 Innovasjon i stat og kommuneSamfunnssikkerhetPolitikk- og forvaltningsområderForskningPortefølje ForskningssystemetPortefølje InnovasjonTjenesterettet FoU