The European Digital Innovation Hub “Trakia” became the first Bulgarian cybersecurity service provider to join “Cyberhive EUROPE”® – the platform of the European Cybersecurity Organization (ECSO), which provides a unified partner discovery tool specialized in promoting and discovering cybersecurity solutions across local borders. Among the ECSO Board members is Svetlin Iliev – Head of International Partnerships at Hub Trakia. Among the founding members of EDIH Trakia is the Union for Private Economic Enterprise (UPEE), which is the coordinator for Bulgaria of the pan-European cyber-industry quality label “Cybersecurity Made in Europe“.
“European cyber security solutions often lack the international recognition they deserve. Just as it takes a honeybee colony to make honey, together we are stronger,” is the ECSO’s main motive for launching its platform, which has trusted service providers from nearly 20 European countries, including DIH Trakia, a beneficiary of the “Cyber4AllSTAR” project funded by the European Commission’s Digital Europe Programme and the national Research, Innovation and Digitalisation for Smart Transformation (RIDST) programme. “Cyberhive provides the European cybersecurity community with a platform to interact with European colleagues. The latest cybersecurity solutions from European vendors, including the “Trakia Cyber Polygon” of EDIH Trakia, can be found here; there is also the possibility for relevant vendors to connect.
Just a few months ago, the European Digital Innovation Hub “Trakia” was awarded the “Quality Mark” within the ADMA Trans4MErs xChange platform, which validates the Hub’s role as a technology service provider for European SMEs in the manufacturing sector.
The first service that EDIH Trakia promotes internationally through the “TranS4MErs xChange” platform under the “ADMA TranS4MErs” project is the “Digital Maturity Assessment” – an assessment of the digital maturity of enterprises, which serves as a starting point for the Hub’s other specialized services in the field of cybersecurity, secured under Digital Europe and the “Research, Innovation and Digitalization for Smart Transformation” program of the Ministry of Innovation and Growth.
Thanks to the expertise of the coordinator of the “Trakia” hub in the face of the Union for Private Economic Enterprise, the hub team has specialists in international business to mediate links between Bulgarian SMEs from the manufacturing sector and their current and future partners from other EU member states.
The promotion of EDIH Trakia on international platforms is not limited to those that are online. On 08.03.2024 EDIH Trakia took an active part in the Bulgarian-Turkish Business Forum, organized in Burgas, Bulgaria, by The Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency (BSMEPA).
“Bulgaria and Turkey are neighbours who have the opportunity to share their strengths. Turkey’s vast resources and modern technology parks are working on innovation and they are willing to share this with their Bulgarian neighbours. We in Bulgaria have the chance to be part of the European Union and to know the way to the common market, but also to be a highly innovative and community-building nation”, commented on the occasion of the forum Yassen Tanev – Head of the partner eco-system of Trakia Hub, who moderated the panel discussion on innovation in digital technologies during the event.
EDIH Trakia had the opportunity through its experts to provoke conversations with neighbors and innovators through business and scientific ecosystems. It also announced the expected international expansion of the Hub-maintained “Catalogue for Innovators” as well as access for the Bulgarian innovation ecosystem to the Turkish market through EDIH Trakia’s contacts there.
Last but not least, to promote its free cyber services for the benefit of Bulgarian businesses, EDIH Trakia actively uses the opportunities provided by the newest type of business collaboration platforms – the hybrid ones. One such platform is the online fairs organized by the members of our partner ecosystem – BALKAN FAIR ONLINE.
In the framework of the BALKAN FAIR BUILD & DESIGN event, EDIH Trakia organized an online lecture on “Cyber Secure Business”. The Hub’s free services in the field of training, cyber risk assessment, and testing were presented to selected participants of the event. This event was key for professionals and companies in the construction, architecture, and interior design industries from the Balkans, offering a platform for introductions, training, and creating long-term relationships.
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EDIH Trakia brings together academia, SMEs, large companies, public administrations, and industry associations to bridge the gap in digitalization and cybersecurity in Bulgaria. EDIH Trakia focuses on providing access to cybersecurity expertise at regional, national and European level through its established relationships and membership in various organisations – EDIH Trakia is a contracted partner of the regional representation of the EEN network and also of the European Cybersecurity Corridor (ECCE). ECCE is a pan-European initiative under the umbrella of the European Cyber Security Organisation (ECSO), which brings together digital hubs from across the European Union focused on cyber security.