Today, technological advancement has transformed the way we live, work and communicate. The growing dependence on technology and the increase in cyber threats have highlighted the need for highly trained professionals in the field of cybersecurity. It is in this context that the proposal to implement a cybersecurity chair arises, with the aim of training future experts in the field and contribute to the protection of information and digital infrastructure. The chair also seeks to encourage the participation of more women in an area traditionally dominated by men.
ARTEMISA was the goddess of hunting and wild nature, protector of animals and also of women, and one of her main skills was hunting and her skill with bow and arrows. Similarly, this proposal promotes the development of technical skills to build systems that can combat cyber threats, and of research and innovation competencies to lead future initiatives. It will also encourage and make visible female talent in the field, and promote the culture of cybersecurity to build a more aware and autonomous society in the use of digital services.
The main purpose of the ARTEMISA International Chair in Cybersecurity is to provide society with the necessary tools to understand and face the security challenges that arise in the digital environment, taking a multidisciplinary approach and emphasizing the importance of regulation and legislation in this area. Strengthening collaboration between the university and the business environment is another of the objectives of the chair. In addition, ARTEMISA emphasizes the importance of encouraging the active participation and empowerment of women in this field, with the aim of contributing to closing the gender gap and promoting diversity and inclusion in cybersecurity.
The Chair will be coordinated by Vanesa Daza, from the Department of Information and Communication Technologies at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (public university founded in 1990, highly competitive in research and with a vocation for educational transformation to respond to the challenges of the future), with a consortium formed by the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya at national level (university founded in 1995, provides a public service of e-learning education and is organized through private management). At the international level, the Chair will have the collaboration of prestigious European universities such as: Institut Polytechnique de Paris and the University of Paris Saclay in France (both universities are present in recognized global university rankings, such as the Times Higher Education World University Ranking or Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities, or QS World Ranking University. In relation to the productive environment, the Chair has the support of companies, entities and technology centers of recognized international prestige such as Mobile World Capital, Oracle, Lambdaclass, Gluwa and InfoCert S.P.A., for collaborations at different levels: research-industry collaborations, participation in panels, or as a platform for dissemination of outreach activities to have a greater impact on society, among others.
The Chair has been selected within the framework of the European Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, contributing to the Digital Transformation, where INCIBE (the Spanish Institute for Cybersecurity - Instituto Nacional de Ciberseguridad) launched an invitation aimed at public universities or consortia composed of public and private universities, in order to promote the development of Chairs that generate knowledge and knowledge transfer to society and the economy, in the field of cybersecurity. The total budget mobilised by the Chair will be 1.6 million EUR, with a maximum duration of 4 years.
Esta iniciativa se realiza en el marco de los fondos del Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia, financiadas por la Unión Europea (Next Generation), el proyecto del Gobierno de España que traza la hoja de ruta para la modernización de la economía española, la recuperación del crecimiento económico y la creación de empleo, para la reconstrucción económica sólida, inclusiva y resiliente tras la crisis de la COVID19, y para responder a los retos de la próxima década.
