On July 16, 2025, UAB “IT Akademija” joined the “CyberAgent” project as a new partner, replacing “HackerU”. UAB “IT Akademija” assumes the commitments of “HackerU” within the “CyberAgent” project and joins the project implementation activities.
The company’s experience and participation in the activities of various organizations will be highly valuable in achieving the goals of the “CyberAgent” project, promoting innovation in the field of cybersecurity, and building a stronger network of cybersecurity professionals across Europe.
The main objective of “CyberAgent” is to empower SME employees, especially women. This transformative project funded by “Erasmus+” aims to provide individuals with sustainable cybersecurity and entrepreneurship knowledge. Our mission is to inspire, empower, and upskill participants so they can become cybersecurity change agents, promoting gender diversity in the IT sector.
CyberAgent facilitates collaboration between higher education institutions (HEIs), vocational education and training institutions (VETs), and SMEs. By sharing best practices in cybersecurity, we enhance employability, cyber resilience, and cybersecurity culture within organizations. Through this initiative, we aim to create a positive impact on SME employees, higher education institutions, vocational training institutions, and the wider community.
For Whom
1. Improving cybersecurity skills of SME employees.
- The consortium partners will develop a training curriculum framework and a training program aimed at enhancing cybersecurity competencies of European SME employees.
- The program will consist of modules that, upon completion, will enable SME employees to become cybersecurity change agents and earn micro-credentials recognized by ECVET, EQF, EQAVET, and ESCO.
2. Strengthening the capacities of university lecturers and vocational school teachers.
- The project aims to enhance the capabilities of lecturers, teachers, and trainers, expand training offerings, and attract participants.
- University lecturers will develop lifelong learning programs tailored to the specific cybersecurity needs of future SME employees.
- Vocational education teachers will receive competency development support, training, and new tools to help improve SME employees’ qualifications and address cybersecurity challenges.
3. Strengthening women’s participation in cybersecurity:
- Through partner networks, especially “Women4Cyber”, the project will encourage women working in SMEs to become cybersecurity change agents.
- The project will actively monitor the minimum target number of women trained under the “CyberAgent” program, and results will be published through social media channels, EU organizations, and cybersecurity companies.
4. Training for training providers and the wider public via a cybersecurity platform.
- During the “CyberAgent” project, a cybersecurity training platform will be developed to disseminate knowledge to other training providers and the wider public and to address cybersecurity challenges.
- This platform will contribute to the “European Digital Innovation Hub” (EDIH) by addressing specific cybersecurity training needs of European SMEs and public sector organizations.
- It will also contribute to the “European Digital Education Hub” by sharing best practices and fostering a community of practitioner-experts within the hub.
Why
- According to 2021 data, more than 90% of enterprises in EU countries were SMEs (Statista Share, 2021).
- Small businesses often lack resources and cybersecurity knowledge and are therefore three times more likely to experience cyberattacks than large enterprises.
- On average, 1.6 million cyberattacks occur worldwide every day. In 2020, the global damage caused exceeded 3 trillion USD (Barracuda, 2022).
- The EU has become one of the regions experiencing the highest increase in cyberattacks.
- Cybersecurity is one of the five key areas in which education investment is essential to implement the Digital Europe Programme (2021) and achieve European technological leadership.
- Cybersecurity is a relatively new challenge. Combating cybercrime is complex and requires new cybersecurity, analytical, and risk management skills.
- Considering these factors, project partners decided to unite efforts to help SMEs improve their cybersecurity practices and transform some of their employees into cybersecurity change agents.
- The CyberAgent project will strengthen European innovation by developing upskilling ecosystems that integrate higher education, vocational training
