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Cybersecurity

optimistic remark: ‘The Netherlands can actually
benefit from the fact that it is such a small country. DCYPHER IN SHORT
The lines here are short and informal. Within the com-
munity dcypher has been able to develop, we have The platform dcypher (Dutch cybersecurity platform
the right expertise together to make a real impact.’
for higher education and research) was founded in
April 2016 by the Ministry of Justice & Security, the
What’s next? Ministry of Education, Culture & Science, the Ministry
In a letter to the House of Representatives, on 9 April of Economic Affairs & Climate, together with NWO.
2020, State Secretary Mona Keijzer of the Ministry of
Economic Affairs and Climate Policy announced the In 2018, the Ministry of Defence joined as well.
establishment of a new cybersecurity collaboration The platform ceased to exist on 1 October 2020.
platform as a follow-up to dcypher.
The goal of dcypher was to improve knowledge and
Shortly after, five Quartermasters (representing expertise about cybersecurity in the Netherlands by
research, higher education, business and government)
started to write an advice, which was submitted to stimulating scientific research and higher education
the Ministry mid-August. In their advice, a platform and by bringing all the diverse cybersecurity parties
is proposed that on the one hand builds on the in the country together.
dcypher heritage, and on the other hand develops
better connections in the chain ‘knowledge-education-
innovation-valorisation’. While dcypher established
a strong foundation, the quartermasters advise
to involve partners from the entire chain more
explicitly. This results in the ambition ‘to effectively
bring together supply, demand and funding for
cybersecurity education, research, innovation
and application’.

In addition to an agenda-setting role, as dcypher
played, the new platform is therefore also assigned
a programming role. That role of translating theme
selection into concrete programs and projects must
be granted by the funders, including governments,
NWO and the business community. Obtaining a
mandate for a thematic and chain-oriented approach In recent years, dcypher has produced a research
will be the major challenge for the coming months. agenda and an education agenda, among other things.
The objective is to achieve a smooth transition
from dcypher to the new platform. The research agenda has been drawn up as a guideline
for public-private partnerships within national research
into cybersecurity. The research is divided into five
pillars: design, attacks, defence, governance and
Bibi van den Berg: privacy. Each pillar requires contributions from
computer science, technology, social sciences and
‘Do not let the the humanities.
networks and
collaborations Finally, dcypher has succeeded in community building:
that have been the previously fragmented Dutch cybersecurity
landscape has become far more unified in in terms
carefully built up
of research and education.
go to waste’

More information
About dcypher: www.dcypher.nl
dcypher research agenda:
www.dcypher.nl/en/research-agenda
dcypher education agenda:
www.dcypher.nl/en/education-agenda

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