The European Digital Innovation Hub “Trakia” (EDIH Trakia), coordinated by the Union for Private Economic Enterprise (UPEE), announced the launch of Women4Cyber – Bulgaria, part of the pan-European foundation of the same name, created on the initiative of the European Cyber Security Organisation (ECSO).
Women4Cyber is a European platform with a presence in nearly 30 countries that aims to encourage and support the participation of more women in the cybersecurity sector through various educational and professional programs. The foundation works to build a diverse and inclusive cyber industry. The initiative relies on the support of the Bulgarian Cyber Security Association (BCA) and the Union for Private Economic Enterprise – a member of ECSO, and among the founding members are experts of the fair sex from the Institute of Information and Communication Technologies at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, lecturers at universities, employees in key positions in companies in the Cybersecurity sector.
After months of hard work to establish bilateral cooperation with the international network leadership, including an active exchange of ideas for the development of the local initiative, which is based on the efforts of the initiative committee to build a community for continuing education and professional development, the Digital Hub “Trakia” commented that an important step in support of women aimed at strengthening their representation in the IT industry has been finalized. The process of establishing the Bulgarian branch started with the validation of the Gender Equality Plan of EDIH Trakia, which identified the need for new opportunities and support for women in cybersecurity and ended successfully with the official signing of the documents for the establishment of the national branch between Ms. Sashka Boncheva from the Bulgarian side and Mr. Luigi Rebuffi from the Women4Cyber leadership in Brussels.
The presentation of the initiative to the general public took place on September 10 in Sofia during the monthly gathering of industry professionals, “Cybersecurity Talks.” At the event, data from the global security company Fortinet, part of the innovation ecosystem of Hub Trakia, was shared, revealing a deficit of over 4 million cybersecurity specialists in the global labor market needed to meet the current demands of the economy. Initiatives like the recently announced educational and career portal “Road2Cyber” by Women4Cyber and ECSO, as well as the free cybersecurity courses provided by the Traki DIH (Digital Innovation Hub) under the Cyber4AllSTAR project, part of the European Commission’s “Digital Europe” program and the NRRP 2021-2027 (National Recovery and Resilience Plan), have the potential to help address this shortage, according to the Women4Cyber Bulgaria team.
Experts and organizations that share the ideas of diversity and equality in the cyber industry are invited to join the Bulgarian branch of the Women4Cyber initiative.
Contact:
- LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/women4cyber-bulgaria
- e-mail: [email protected]
- tel: +359 887311230