On June 18, Lviv Polytechnic National University hosted a working meeting of Rector Yuri Bobalo, Nataliya Chukhray, Vice-Rector for Education and International Relations, and Nataliia Hots, Head of Center for International Education at our University, and a delegation of the USAID Cybersecurity Activity – Timothy Dubel, Project Manager, and Hank Nelson, Technical Project Manager, USAID Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure in Ukraine Activity.
At the meeting they discussed opportunities for scientific cooperation and international academic mobility of students and academic staff.
– Lviv is an important IT hub and our cooperation with Lviv Polytechnic is an example of our holistic approach to strengthening Ukraine’s cyber capacity. Improving the quality of higher education in the field of cybersecurity and developing the private IT sector will enable students to find jobs in the country and not to go abroad, said Timothy Dubel, USAID Ukraine Project Manager.
Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure in Ukraine Activity is a USAID project, implemented by DAI Global LLC (DAI) to reduce and potentially address cybersecurity vulnerabilities in Ukraine’s critical infrastructure sectors.
It is worth noting that the USAID Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure in Ukraine Activity is the first USAID bilateral cybersecurity project. It is designed for four years, with a total budget of $ 38 million. It provides for the creation of modern cyber polygons and summer cybersecurity schools in selected higher education institutions, which will provide practical training for teachers conducted by partner universities and companies in the United States and Ukraine. The group of project partners includes: Florida International University, Information Systems Security Partners, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Catalisto, Veterans First Initiative, SocialBoost and others.
The first part of the cybersecurity teacher training program will start in June 2021. Topics of the summer program cover the basics of computer and network security, system privacy and security, incident response, digital forensics, security of cyberphysical systems and the Internet of Things / user privacy.
The project covers several important components:
- strengthening Ukraine’s cyber resilience through close cooperation with the Government of Ukraine, in particular the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine and the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine;
- formation of human resources of Ukraine in the field of cybersecurity;
- supporting universities to increase cybersecurity professionals and improve the quality of their education;
- advanced training of cybersecurity experts through educational and practical trainings;
- establishing relationships between Ukrainian HEIs and the international academic community;
- cybersecurity market development;
- support for the launch of an updated State Center for Cyber Defense of the State Special Communications Service of Ukraine.
