EU-backed €10 million cybersecurity project officially launched in Ukraine

Officially launched in Kyiv on 10 June, the new European Union-funded initiative Continued EU Support to Cybersecurity (EU4CyberUA) will support Ukraine in protecting critical infrastructure, strengthening cyber resilience and advancing alignment with EU cybersecurity standards.

The 36-month project, with a budget of €10 million, is implemented by FIAP and the e-Governance Academy in close cooperation with the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine and other Ukrainian institutions involved in cybersecurity, digital transformation and critical infrastructure protection.

The project comes at a time when Ukraine is defending more than its territory. Russian attacks continue to target cities and critical infrastructure, while another battle is being fought less visibly – against government networks, state registries and digital systems that millions of Ukrainians rely on every day.

“The kick-off of this new cybersecurity collaboration marks the start of practical implementation, turning a shared commitment between Ukraine and the European Union into concrete steps to strengthen cyber resilience and support alignment with EU cybersecurity standards amid the country’s rapid digital transformation, EU accession efforts, and ongoing wartime security challenges”, said Mr Asier Santillán, Head of the European Integration, Governance and Rule of Law, Civil Society Section of the EU Delegation to Ukraine

U4CyberUA will support the modernisation of Security Operations Centres, strengthen the protection of critical infrastructure, improve the security of government information systems and deepen cooperation with European cybersecurity partners, including ENISA and CERT-EU.

“Most Ukrainians never see the cyberattacks we deal with every day. What they do see is whether public services work, whether information remains available, and whether critical systems keep running. Protecting those systems has become part of protecting the country itself. With the support of the European Union and our partners, this project will help us strengthen that resilience,” said Oleksandr Potii, Chairman of the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine.

A major part of the project will focus on capacity building. It will support the development of the National CISO Training Centre to help prepare qualified Chief Information Security Officers for public administration. An International Training and Testing Centre will also be established to enable joint training and simulations of cyberattack scenarios involving Ukrainian and international experts.

The initiative also reflects a broader Team Europe effort, bringing together the expertise of EU Member States, including Spain and Estonia, to support Ukraine’s security, resilience and EU integration agenda.

For the eGA, the project builds on more than a decade of cooperation with Ukraine in digital transformation and cybersecurity, as well as recent work with SSSCIP on critical infrastructure protection. Under EU4CyberUA, eGA will work with Ukrainian partners to strengthen regional cybersecurity capacities, support the National CISO Training Centre, enhance critical infrastructure resilience and help align Ukraine’s cybersecurity practices with EU standards.

“Ukraine has already shown the world that digital government can remain functional and trusted even during a full-scale war, having secure data exchange, skilled people and partners in place,” said Hannes Astok, Executive Director of the eGA.

Over the next three years (2026 – 2029), the project will help strengthen the systems, skills and partnerships needed to protect critical infrastructure, support public services and reinforce Ukraine’s cyber resilience in an increasingly complex security environment.

The launch in Kyiv marked the beginning of that work.