European network of Cybersecurity centres and competence Hub for innovation and Operations (ECHO)

ECHO delivers an organized and coordinated approach to strengthen proactive cyber defence of the European Union, through effective and efficient multi-sector collaboration.

30 partners from 16 European countries will execute on a 48-month work plan to develop, model and demonstrate a network of cyber research and competence centres, with a centre of research and competence at the hub. The Central Competence Hub serves as the focal point for the ECHO Multi-sector Assessment Framework enabling multi-sector dependencies management with: the provision of an ECHO Early Warning System; an ECHO Federation of Cyber Ranges; management of an expanding collection of Partner Engagements.

The ECHO Multi-sector Assessment Framework refers to the analysis of challenges and opportunities derived from sector-specific use cases, transversal cybersecurity needs analysis and development of inter-sector Technology Roadmaps involving horizontal cybersecurity disciplines.

The Early Warning System, Federation of Cyber Ranges and Inter-sector Technology Roadmaps will then be subject of Demonstration Cases incorporating relevant involvement of inter-dependent industrial sectors.

The ECHO Cyberskills Framework provides the foundation for development of cybersecurity education and training programmes including a common definition of transversal and inter-sector skills and qualifications needed by cybersecurity practitioners.

The ECHO Cybersecurity Certification Scheme provides a sector specific and inter-sector process for cybersecurity certification testing of new technologies and products resulting from the proposed technology roadmaps.

The project will develop and operate under an ECHO Governance Model, by which the efforts across the EU Network of Cybersecurity Competence Centres can be coordinated and optimized to provide lasting and sustainable excellence in cybersecurity skills development; research and experimentation; technology roadmaps delivery; and certified security products for improved cybersecurity resilience of Europe, its citizens and its industrial capacity.

Prof. Todor Tagarev leads the IICT team in the ECHO project. Associate Professor Velizar Shalamanov coordinates WP3 aiming to design and impleme nt the ECHO Governance Model.

For detailed information please visit the project website https://www.echonetwork.eu/