Digital4Security

Digital4Security

Digital4Security is an EU-funded project to develop a European Master’s programme in cybersecurity management and data sovereignty, equipping SMEs with the necessary knowledge and skills to ensure their digital security.

Digital Europe

EU funding programme

€ 214,390.55 grant

Funding awarded

Education, Skills, Cybersecurity

Sectors

Discover the project

Vision

Cyber threats are endangering the stability of many European industries and public sector institutions. As these threats grow in sophistication, the need for a specialised workforce is critical.

Digital4Security aims to respond to this urgent call for skilled professionals who can navigate the complexities of cybersecurity and protect Europe’s digital infrastructure from emerging risks.

Mission

Digital4Security’s mission is to close the critical cybersecurity skills gap and bring a new generation of experts in cyber resilience to the workforce, creating a safer, more resilient and competitive economy.

It will achieve this by developing an industry-led Master’s programme in cybersecurity and data sovereignty, reskilling and upskilling graduates, professionals, managers and business leaders through a curriculum tailored to the needs of their industry.

Outcomes

A Master’s programme that:

blends academic and industry content to ensure graduates are equipped with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills

is academically accredited at European and international levels, with micro-credentials for each module, and industry certification through partnerships with leading cybersecurity firms

continuously adapts and evolves to address current and future cybersecurity risks as well as market and industry needs

Our role

Funding

We secured € 214,390.55 as a lump sum grant under the EU funding programme, Digital Europe.

Securing and implementing the project

Securing the project

Schuman Associates lead the bid management and proposal writing to win this project.

Implementing the project

A team of four ensures that the project has access to the necessary skills and resources to deliver high-quality outcomes across our core areas of responsibility:

Project management and coordination
Quality assurance
Communication, dissemination and European impact
Long-term sustainability

Scope of work

Our work in the implementation of this project spans:

Coordination and collaboration

Our project implementation team collaborates closely with the project coordinator, Politehnica University of Bucharest, industry partners, academia, and other relevant organisations to ensure alignment with strategic objectives, maximise impact and promote synergies.

Quality assurance

Advising on strategy and methodology, as well as reviewing all project processes, documents, outputs and deliverables, identifying non-conformities with the set quality standards and recommending corrective actions.

Communication, dissemination and European impact

Developing communication strategies, managing outreach efforts, and disseminating project updates, resource, and success stories to stakeholders in the cybersecurity sector.

Curating and managing a repository of best practices to facilitate knowledge sharing and replication.

Student recruitment

Collaboration with the Digital Skills & Jobs Platform

Elaborating the project’s Partnership Development Programme

Developing and implementing the Industry and Education Campaign to encourage widespread adoption of the Master’s programme

Driving long-term sustainability

Ensuring the long-term viability of the Master’s Programme and establishing it as a best practice for joint Master’s Programmes by:

Developing a robust and sustainable framework, ensuring an online Master’s Programme that is:

Certified and accredited in accordance with European instruments, standards, and tools
Designed to be scalable and adaptable, capable of incorporating new technologies, content, and partnerships

Creating a comprehensive long-term sustainability strategy to facilitate the expansion of the online programme across Europe, including onboarding new Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) into the Digital4Security initiative and promoting the model as a benchmark for other joint Master’s programmes across HEIs and European Union Institutions (EUIs).
Developing a Commercialisation Plan to secure ongoing financial sustainability both during and beyond the initial four-year funding period.

Services supplied

Proposal writing

Bid management

Consortium management

Bid collaboration space

Grant agreement preparation

Project management

Quality assurance processes

Budget development and reporting

Communication strategy

Online workshops

The Consortium

Work Package Leads and Co-Leads

Politehnica University of Bucharest

Project Coordinator
Leader of Work Package 1: Project management and coordination
Co-Leader of Work Package 3: Programme development and set up

Schuman Associates

Co-Leader of Work Package 1: Project management and coordination, including co-leading on quality assurance and reporting

Leader of Work Package 6: Long-term sustainability

Contributing to Work Package 5: Dissemination and European impact, including co-leading on programme launch campaign and student recruitment, as well as on online learning resources and collaboration with the Digital Skills & Jobs Platform; and contributing to the Partnership Development Programme, the Industry and Education Campaign to encourage widespread adoption, as well as the creation of the Communications Strategy, branding and communications materials

BRNO University

Leader of Work Package 2: Needs analysis and programme design

DTSL

Co-Leader of Work Package 2: Needs analysis and programme design

UDS

Leader of Work Package 3: Programme development and set up

Co-Leader of Work Package 6: Long-term sustainability

NCI

Leader of Work Package 4: Programme roll-out and delivery

UNIR

Co-Leader of Work Package 4: Programme roll-out and delivery

DIGITALEUROPE

Leader of Work Package 5: Dissemination and European impact

Matrix Internet

Co-Leader of Work Package 5: Dissemination and European impact