Finland and USA become ‘Cyber Partners’ – new research cooperation builds upon the success of DIMECC’s innovation program Cyber Trust

Press Release 26.9.2017 

The cooperation agreement was signed today afternoon at the Final Result Seminar of DIMECC’s Cyber Trust Program in Helsinki. In Cyber Trust, top companies like Bittium, F-Secure, Ericsson and Nokia as well as top Finnish universities and research institutions developed technological solutions to improve cyber security. The Program was initiated with the Finnish National Cyber Strategy in 2015.

‘One of our ambitious goals was to increase international cooperation. Thanks for our success go to the partners brought together and cooperation made possible by DIMECC’s Cyber Trust. The new partnership with the National Science Foundation’s I/UCRC -Program wouldn’t have happened without DIMECC’s leading role in constructing Cyber Trust’, emphasizes Program Manager Markku Korkiakoski of Bittium Ltd.

The Cyber Security and Software Engineering Research Site,to be founded in connection to Oulu University, will be open to all Finnish universities and research institutions. According to the plan, the unit will work as part of the Security and Software Engineering Research Center (https://www.serc.net), which has studied software and system security with 13 universities and over 20 industrial and governmental partners since 2010 in the US.

‘We’re proud that DIMECC has contributed to launching this internationally hugely important cyber research cooperation between Finland and the United Stated. This is a model example of what can be accomplished with the most effective innovation platform in Europe, when also public funding is brought in to boost cooperation between our cutting-edge companies and top universities’, states DIMECC CEO Harri Kulmala. Cyber Trust has engaged over 25 top companies and research institutions. It was funded by Tekes (Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation), which will also finance the new research cooperation. 

Explosive Increase of Cyber Attacks

There will be plenty to research for the unit, since attacks in the net are increasing rapidly. The opposite side consists of organized powers. Threats against public institutions, companies and individuals are recognized at the highest level. Finland’s top cyber expertise came up also during the recent meeting of Donald Trump, President of the United States and President Sauli Niinistö of the Republic of Finland.

‘According to the freshest estimates, billions of attacks per second take place in the net, causing up to hundreds of billions of euros worth of financial losses yearly. Unfortunately cyber attacks are one of the most rapidly growing forms of criminal and even governmental activities in the world’, says Professor Tapio Frantti, who functions as a Docent of Information Technology in Oulu University.

The new Oulu cyber security unit will not only increase security for public and private sectors but strives to improve the security of ordinary citizens, for example concerning online payments and home automation as well as help against harassment in the net.

Further information:

CEO Harri Kulmala, DIMECC Ltd, +358 40 840 6380, harri.kulmala@dimecc.com

Program Manager Markku Korkiakoski, Cyber Trust Program +358 040 344 5203, markku.korkiakoski@bittium.com

Professor Tapio Frantti, +358 40 547 0819, tapio.frantti@fre.fi