Thanks to an integrated approach and funding of a total of CZK 128 million through the ITI, two projects focused on cybersecurity were created in Brno. The CERIT Science Park II was built in the IT CAMPUS CITY CENTRE in the area of Šumavská – Botanická – Hrnčířská, and the secondary school located in Čichnová Street in the Komín district has a unique technology centre for cyber security and information and communication technologies (ICT).
Cybersecurity is one of the topics that cannot be tackled at the level of a single discipline. Although it primarily falls within the field of science, research and innovation, young people need to be introduced to and enthusiastic about the field during their education in secondary and higher education. Therefore, an integrated solution called the Czech Cyber Security Centre has been created to bring the education and science and research sectors together.
Fortunately, Brno has a lot to build on. The Čichnova Secondary School of Informatics, Postal Administration and Finance in Brno is one of only two schools in the Czech Republic offering cyber security studies. The ITI funds have been used to equip a modern Junior Centre of Excellence for Cyber Security. The Centre also supports the quality of education in other fields such as information technology, telecommunications and transport security. Graduates will be in demand on the labour market thanks to this training and will be able to find employment, for example, in the CERIT Science Park II, which is part of the same integrated solution.
As part of their education, students prepare to counter hacker attacks and protect information systems. The Junior Center of Excellence combines three elements: a new cybersecurity curriculum, connecting practitioners with students in the CyberCommunity, and educating teaching staff. The newly created cloud platform also supports the transfer of information to other schools in the region. Thus, the unique Centre guides students to improve their skills in the field of cyber security and the resulting competitive advantage moves them forward in the job market or further studies. The Junior Centre of Excellence is unique in the Czech Republic’s high school environment and we are duly proud of it. The project was one of the finalists in the Regiostars Awards 2023, a competition launched by the European Commission to find inspiring projects co-funded by the EU. The awards are given in six thematic categories to projects that demonstrate new approaches in regional development. The Junior Centre of Excellence succeeded in the Competitive and Smart Europe category together with five other projects. These included the Tech Tower Technology Park in Pilsen, the Interreg DigiPro projects, Circular 4.0 and the Edifico Fundacion Pasqal Maragall research project on the topic of Alzheimer’s disease.
CERIT Science Park I has been in operation since 2014 and is already at full capacity. For this reason, CERIT Science Park II was built. It is a business incubator for innovative start-up companies focused on security research and development, which will help strengthen Brno’s position within the Czech Republic and internationally. CERIT Science Park II has increased the size of the entire park by 20,000 m2, thus supporting the increased concentration of IT capacity in the area.
Both projects of this integrated solution link educational activities in the framework of vocational training and lifelong learning. In addition to increasing cyber security education, both projects also develop the innovation potential of the Brno Metropolitan Area.
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