Gerard P. Craughwell: CyberQuest wins €8.5m to train 2,000 participants
Gerard P. Craughwell set out recent cyber-security developments and funding awards and urged immediate action on growing cyber threats. He announced that CyberQuest has been awarded eight and a half million euros over five years to deliver cyber and IT skills training to 2,000 participants and highlighted related local supports.
Gerard P. Craughwell said CyberQuest secured €8.5 million through the Peace Plus programme for a cross-border initiative that will run over the next five years and target 2,000 participants, including many outside the education and employment sectors.
He described delegations taken to Tallinn and engagement with CCDCOE and CR14, NATO training centres, which helped establish two security operating centres - one in Dundalk and one in the Collaboratory in Blanchardstown - and a cyber awareness programme running in Limerick ETB.
Craughwell congratulated Enterprise Ireland for introducing a €3,000 grant to allow companies to assess their cyber security systems and noted a €60,000 provision that can cover up to 80% of the cost of bringing cyber awareness and cyber security programmes up to speed within organisations.
He warned that NIS2 is coming and stressed the need for action, noting threats come both from nation states and from individuals operating from bedrooms. Craughwell contrasted talking with the need for concrete measures, saying action is required to avoid being caught unprepared.
Funding awarded
Gerard P. Craughwell said CyberQuest secured €8.5 million through the Peace Plus programme for a cross-border initiative that will run over the next five years and target 2,000 participants, including many outside the education and employment sectors.
International training and local centres
He described delegations taken to Tallinn and engagement with CCDCOE and CR14, NATO training centres, which helped establish two security operating centres - one in Dundalk and one in the Collaboratory in Blanchardstown - and a cyber awareness programme running in Limerick ETB.
Enterprise Ireland grants and company supports
Craughwell congratulated Enterprise Ireland for introducing a €3,000 grant to allow companies to assess their cyber security systems and noted a €60,000 provision that can cover up to 80% of the cost of bringing cyber awareness and cyber security programmes up to speed within organisations.
Warning on NIS2 and threat landscape
He warned that NIS2 is coming and stressed the need for action, noting threats come both from nation states and from individuals operating from bedrooms. Craughwell contrasted talking with the need for concrete measures, saying action is required to avoid being caught unprepared.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Other speeches
Tego samego dnia All speeches from this day →
Matt Shanahan
Matt Shanahan Confronts Taoiseach Over Broken Promises to Waterford
Sharon Keogan
Sharon Keogan: Demands answer on 10-year delay to section 6
Mary Lou McDonald
Deputy Mary Lou McDonald- speech from 6 Nov 2024
Bríd Smith
Bríd Smith calls for €15 living wage and end to carers' means test
Éamon Ó Cuív
Éamon Ó Cuív urges three staff per TD and defends democracy
Joe O'Reilly
Joe O'Reilly urges end to children's assessment waiting lists
Transcript
Just referring to the issue of weapons passing through our sky until such a time as we have an air force ourselves that can go up and intercept and interdict, we can do sweet damn all about it and talking about it is of little value. Action is what's needed. Now, Leader, you'll know that I've spent quite a lot of time over the period of this Senate in working in the area of cyber security. It brought a number of delegations to Tallinn in Estonia and we have been, I suppose, shown the best of the best by CCDCOE, which is the NATO centre, CR14, which is another NATO training centre and it has led to the establishment of two security operating centres, one in Dundalk and one in Collaboratory out in Blanchardstown and a cyber awareness programme running in Limerick ETB. I'm delighted today to inform the House that we sought funding for a cross-border initiative through the Peace Plus programme and CyberQuest has been awarded eight and a half million euros over the next five years to bring cyber and IT skills to 2,000 participants, many of whom are outside the education and the employment area. This is a really good initiative to bring young people that, for all intents and purposes, have been disaffected to bring them into what is a vibrant career for them. I also want to congratulate the Enterprise Ireland on its initiative in the area of cyber, where they have now set up a grant of 3,000 euros to allow companies to assess their cyber security systems, if you want. And in addition to that, Enterprise Ireland have laid on 60,000 euros, which would be up to 80% of the cost of bringing cyber awareness and cyber security programmes up to speed within organisations. We really have to wake up to the cyber threat that exists in the world. And it's not all bad actors of countries, some of it is just people operating out of their bedrooms. And the bottom line on it is NIS2 is coming and unless we do something about it, we will be found once again, caught. Thank you very much.