Google.org support for University of Milan project to train experts in cybersecurity

The University of Milan “La Statale”, in collaboration with Fondazione Mondo Digitale ETS, has been selected by Virtual Routes to receive a grant worth $700,000 as part of Google.org’s Cybersecurity Seminar program. With this support, the University will be able to promote a cybersecurity seminar program for 140 students who want to become cybersecurity professionals.

According to the European Union, the shortage of cybersecurity professionals in 2022 ranged from 260,000 to 500,000, hence the need for more training and job opportunities in the field.

Principal Investigator of the project will be Pierluigi Perri, a professor in the Department “Cesare Beccaria” of the Law School, in collaboration with Silvia Salini, a professor in the Department of Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods, who was chosen as the project’s Equality Diversity and Inclusion Champion.

Specifically, the project includes the promotion of five Cybersecurity Seminars articulated in theoretical lectures, workshops, hackathons that will involve 140 students. In addition, a significant number of hours will be devoted to “hands-on” activities with local communities, promoting awareness-raising and service learning actions, in which students will be supported by coaches and mentors from Fondazione Mondo Digitale to facilitate the connection with the stakeholders.

The project will select participants and learners with a strong emphasis on gender balance and inclusion. The goal is to train all-round cybersecurity professionals with interdisciplinary training and specific knowledge of the laws governing data protection and cybersecurity in the EU.

“The issue of cybersecurity is increasingly central in a highly digitized society ,” – say Pierluigi Perri, professor of Cybersecurity, Privacy and Protection of Sensitive Data – ”However, the best approach to meet market demands must be multidisciplinary, also integrating Computer Law skills that allow addressing the legal issues now closely related to cybersecurity. I am therefore extremely happy with this grant, because it will help bridge an important gap in skills and access to the world of cybersecurity that still affect our country. The University of Milan, thanks to its focus on innovation and digital transition and its inclusive policies already in place, represents the ideal laboratory for the implementation of a professionalizing training pathway suitable to meet the needs of the job market.”

“I am very proud to be able to be EDI in this initiative ‘ – emphasizes Silvia Salini, Professor of Statistics – ’and it will be my care to bring the values of equality and inclusion proper to our great public university also in this area. Seminar, workshop and hackathon activities will aim to involve different types of students, including international students, and will also be accessible to those with disabilities or special educational needs. Proposals, including those in collaboration with local communities, will be organized by reconciling home-work management and using inclusive digital and graphic materials, with language that is mindful of multiculturalism and diversity. Lastly, one of the main goals is to stimulate male and female students to become cybersecurity professionals, an emerging discipline in which there is great demand but still few well-trained and motivated figures. With effective strategies, this initiative can also be an opportunity to reduce the gender gap in STEM disciplines.”

“Our role is primarily to strengthen networking in the territories,” explains Mirta Michilli, director general of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale. “With original formats and innovative content we promote more effective learning that not only combines theory and practice, but develops innovative solutions from real case studies (service learning). We contribute to creating an educational ecosystem capable of addressing contemporary challenges, such as digital security, by enhancing collaboration between universities, companies, local communities and schools, to build a safer and more inclusive future for all. Professionals are urgently needed, but above all, a widespread culture is essential, because security is done together.”

Google.org’s Cybersecurity Seminar program is managed by Virtual Routes (formerly known as European Cyber Conflict Research Incubator CIC) to award Google.org funding to selected universities in Europe, the Middle East and Africa with the goal of providing a multidisciplinary approach and range of opportunities for male and female students in the field of cybersecurity. In fact, Google.org funding supports universities that teach students how to apply cybersecurity skills in real-life situations. Experiences for students at participating universities include: internships, mentoring by cybersecurity professionals, and participation in hackathons to collaboratively solve real-world cybersecurity problems.