Faced with the growing number of cyber threats, businesses need to be able to access the right solutions easily and develop their staff’s skills. Through its Marketplace and training programmes, the NERO project offers SMEs and European organisations an ecosystem dedicated to raising awareness and strengthening a culture of cybersecurity.
NERO, a platform for enhancing cyber maturity
The Nero project, funded by the Digital Europe Programme and supported by the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC), aims to build a comprehensive cybersecurity awareness ecosystem for SMEs, with a view to effectively enhancing the security culture amongst employees of European SMEs through a range of cybersecurity awareness initiatives.
The project tackles four major challenges:
- The proliferation and increasing complexity of cyber threats;
- The rise in risks associated with artificial intelligence (disinformation, social engineering, malware, supply chain attacks);
- The chronic lack of awareness within SMEs;
- The central role of SMEs in the European economy
The stated aim is twofold: to promote the adoption of innovative cybersecurity solutions, particularly those arising from EU-funded research, and to strengthen cybersecurity skills and audits within small organisations. To achieve this, two flagship initiatives are being implemented.
The Marketplace NERO: a one-stop shop for cybersecurity solutions
At the heart of the project, the NERO Marketplace is a centralised platform that enables SMEs to discover, compare and adopt cybersecurity tools and services tailored to their needs. The aim of this platform is to make cybersecurity more accessible and practical, in order to help businesses strengthen their digital resilience and comply with regulations.
The marketplace also includes a Solutions Catalogue which already brings together a wide range of tools, ranging from vulnerability management to intrusion detection, cloud security and identity and access management.
Training to build a genuine cyber culture
In terms of training, NERO offers a structured learning pathway, covering everything from the fundamentals of cybersecurity to advanced techniques, using cyber ranges, realistic scenarios and practical modules. The aim of these training courses is to enable employees to develop their skills in areas such as social engineering, incident management, penetration testing and network security. Some modules are aimed at technical roles (CISOs, penetration testers, forensic analysts), whilst others are designed for non-IT staff.