The Provincial Council will allocate 400,000 euros this year to promote cybersecurity in companies in Gipuzkoa
The Provincial Council will allocate 400,000 euros this year to promote cybersecurity in companies in Gipuzkoa
Se ha reforzado económicamente la línea de ayudas para el desarrollo de proyectos de evaluación de la seguridad de productos industriales
The Provincial Council has approved the bases of the program to promote cybersecurity in companies in Gipuzkoa, to which it will allocate a total of 400,000 euros in 2022. In line with the commitment to the future established by the dynamic Etorkizuna Eraikiz, the program, part of the 'Gipuzkoa Digitala' initiative, offers a set of supports with two purposes: to improve the level of knowledge and the implementation of cybersecurity measures among companies industries, and reinforce the trajectory of the companies that work in the sector, many of them national and international benchmarks, in order to promote their growth and contribute to consolidating Gipuzkoa as an advanced territory in this area. The information and requirements were published in the BOG on April 5, opening the deadline for submitting applications.
“Under the umbrella of industry 4.0, our industrial companies are advancing in their digital transformation, and this entails identifying the weakest links and preparing for possible cyberattacks, guaranteeing the production of secure products in cybersecurity through well-armored processes. The security of computer equipment is essential for Gipuzkoa to continue being an industrial and advanced manufacturing benchmark. We know that the current uncertainty makes our companies worry about their day-to-day activities, but we have to continue to maintain the collective commitments that will guarantee our competitiveness and well-being in the near future, and this is one of them", assured the Deputy for Promotion Economic and Strategic Projects Jabier Larrañaga.
The call consists of three aid lines, the first of which is aimed at strengthening cybersecurity in industrial SMEs in Gipuzkoa, to which 165,000 euros will be allocated. It will support the contracting of specialized advice to carry out diagnostic work on the situation of the hardware/software in relation to cybersecurity, or the organizational situation of the company in relation to cybersecurity; the drafting of plans in this area; and raising awareness and/or training staff. Aspects such as ICS vulnerability analysis, IT/OT traffic analysis, ICS GAP analysis, integration of ICS solutions, support services, monitoring and maintenance of IC technologies, or ICS maturity indicators and metrics are taken into account. As a novelty, the accompaniment in the deployment and execution of a cybersecurity plan will be supported. The deadline for submitting applications for this line will end on September 15, 2022.
The second, of a technological nature, promotes research and development with an endowment of 100,000 euros. Companies in the field of industrial cybersecurity can access it, either for the experimental development of new products or production processes, or for the substantial improvement of pre-existing ones.
The third line of support, whose endowment has been increased to 135,000 euros, aims to promote the development of Industrial Product Safety Assessment Projects. It is aimed at companies that develop and/or design industrial devices, to encourage them to implement cybersecurity from design, and make available to them the possibility of testing the security of their products in industrial laboratories. As a novelty, the maximum aid has been increased to 20,000 euros. “There are a multitude of tools and processes with an increasing presence (Cloud computing, Big data, Internet of things...), which are increasing the degree of connectivity in the way of producing and structuring the internal value chain of our industrial business. For this reason, with this line we want to continue deepening the technical and organizational security measures from the initial phase of the development of products and services”, explained the Deputy.
The deadline for submitting applications for the second and third lines will be 30 calendar days from the publication in the BOG. Likewise, the Diputación maintains the possibility of making advance payments to the beneficiary companies of the program, in order to facilitate the innovation processes in SMEs. Last year, the Provincial Council supported with this program the execution of 28 projects by companies such as Herrekor, Laulagun, Alcad, Iditek, Egile or DanobatGroup, Goiko, Efiner, Cutting Tools, Euchner or Titanium.
This is the fifth edition of the program, launched in 2018, and the design of the bases is the result of collaboration with the Strategic Projects Department and the professional team of the ZIUR Industrial Cybersecurity Center. ZIUR plays an active role in the deployment of supported projects, monitoring them, and providing the methodology for companies to carry out their self-diagnosis. Likewise, the bases assess the level of collaboration, coordination and alignment of the projects with initiatives promoted by ZIUR, thus promoting synergies and shared work with the reference center. More than two years after its launch, ZIUR has collaborated with nearly 500 industrial companies, associations, agents in the field of cybersecurity, public bodies and educational centers.