Workshop
Defensive Frontlines:
Harmonising Cybersecurity: Bridging Civilian and Defence Paradigms
11th of September 2025 | Bucharest, Romania
Organised by The National Institute for Research & Development in Informatics - ICI Bucharest
About The Event
In today’s interconnected world, the boundaries between civilian and defence cybersecurity are increasingly blurred. Both sectors face mounting pressure from hybrid threats, from attacks on critical infrastructure to supply chain disruptions that exploit vulnerabilities in widely used technology providers. While security remains a shared priority, the civilian, private and military domains operate with different incentives, organisational cultures and resources. These contrasts can generate valuable diversity of perspective, but they also risk producing conflict and fragmentation if not addressed through dialogue and cooperation.
This workshop aims to explore how these diverging paradigms can be reconciled in practice. It will examine the role of modelling and simulation environments in strengthening cybersecurity operations, the challenges posed by the security of dual-use technology providers, the potential of artificial intelligence in red-teaming exercises, and the long-term risks linked to post-quantum cryptography, particularly the “harvest now, decrypt later” threat. By bringing these themes together, the workshop underscores a central reality: new technologies create not only opportunities, but also fresh risks and vulnerabilities that neither the civilian nor the defence side can confront alone. The objective is to move beyond parallel approaches and instead foster genuine synergy, transforming differences into drivers of resilience and building a stronger, more secure digital Europe.
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The workshop is designed to bring together a diverse and representative group of expert speakers, ensuring that both civilian and defence perspectives are meaningfully included in the discussion. By addressing concrete issues at the heart of civilian–military cooperation on cybersecurity, the event aims to provide participants with both strategic insights and practical knowledge. A particular focus will be placed on achieving strong participation from Ministries of Defence and other defence actors, whose engagement is crucial for building lasting synergies.
Beyond dialogue, the workshop will also feature interactive training sessions delivered by innovative startups working at the technological frontier. These sessions will allow participants to gain first-hand exposure to cutting-edge approaches and tools, with immediate relevance for cybersecurity challenges. At the same time, the workshop seeks to raise awareness of the new technological possibilities for modelling and managing complex systems, highlighting their applicability in contexts where civilian and defence cooperation is essential.
Where
Hybrid (In-person & Virtual)
8-10 Maresal Averescu Avenue, 011454, Bucharest, Romania
