Deploying The Network Of National Coordination Centres With Member States

Outcomes and deliverables

Setup and operation of National Coordination Centres in Member States.

With the creation of the European Cybersecurity Industrial, Technology and Research Competence Centre (Regulation (EU) 2021/887), the National Coordination Centres – working together through a network – will contribute to achieving the objectives of this regulation and to foster the Cybersecurity Competence Community in each Member State, contributing to acquire the necessary capacity. National Coordination Centres (NCC) will support cybersecurity capacity building at national and, where relevant, regional and local levels. They shall aim at fostering cross-border cooperation and at the preparation of joint actions as defined in the European Cybersecurity Industrial, Technology and Research Competence Centre and Network regulation.

The National Coordination Centre should carry out the following tasks:

• acting as contact points at the national level for the Cybersecurity Competence Community to support the European Cybersecurity Industrial, Technology and Research Competence Centre in achieving its objectives and missions, in particular in coordinating the Cybersecurity Competence Community through the coordination of its national members;
• providing expertise and actively contributing to the strategic tasks of the European Cybersecurity Industrial, Technology and Research Competence Centre, taking into account relevant national and regional challenges for cybersecurity in different sectors;
• promoting, encouraging and facilitating the participation of civil society, industry in particular start-ups and SMEs, academic and research communities and other actors at Member State level in cross-border projects and cybersecurity actions funded through all relevant Union programmes;
• providing technical assistance to stakeholders by supporting the stakeholders in their application phase for projects managed by the European Cybersecurity Industrial, Technology and Research Competence Centre, and in full compliance with the rules of sound financial management, especially on conflict of interests. This should be done in close coordination with relevant NCPs set up by Member States, such as those funded under the Horizon Europe topic: “HORIZON-CL3-2021-SSRI-01-03: National Contact Points (NCPs) in the field of security and cybersecurity”;
• seeking to establish synergies with relevant activities at national, regional and local levels, such as addressing cybersecurity in national policies on research, development and innovation in the area of, and in particular in those policies stated in the national cybersecurity strategies;
• Where relevant, implementing specific actions for which grants have been awarded by the European Cybersecurity Industrial, Technology and Research Competence Centre, including through provision of financial support to third parties in line with article 204 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046 under the conditions specified in the grant agreements concerned; such support should in particular aim at strengthening the uptake and dissemination of state-of-the-art cybersecurity solutions (notably by SMEs);
• promoting and disseminating the relevant outcomes of the work of the Network, the Cybersecurity Competence Community and Competence Centre at national, regional or local level;
• assessing requests for becoming part of the Cybersecurity Competence Community by entities established in the same Member State as the National Coordination Centre;
• advocating and promoting involvement by relevant entities in the activities arising from the European Cybersecurity Industrial, Technology and Research Competence Centre, the Network of National Coordination Centres, and the Cybersecurity Competence Community, and monitoring, as appropriate, the level of engagement with actions awarded for cybersecurity research, developments and deployments.

Proposals are expected to further specify the activities listed above and possibly other relevant activities. The funding can cover the capacity building and the functioning of the National Coordination Centres for up to 2 years.

Proposals are expected to demonstrate that they are in a position to coordinate respective activities with relevant European Digital Innovation Hubs created pursuant to article 16 of the Regulation establishing the Digital Europe Programme.

The Commission considers an EU contribution of up to about EUR 1 million appropriate for the capacity building and the functioning of the National Coordination Centres over 2 years. The Commission further considers that as part of the same proposal, applicants may request another EUR 1 million to be provided in the form of financial support to third parties, with the aim of supporting the uptake and dissemination of state-of-the-art cybersecurity solutions (notably by SMEs).

This call targets exclusively National Coordination Centres which have been recognized by the Commission as having the capacity to manage funds to achieve the mission and objectives laid down in the Regulation establishing the European Cybersecurity Industrial, Technology and Research Competence Centre and the Network of National Coordination Centres.