The Net Service Group is pleased to announce the awarding of funding under the
Public call for the selection of project proposals aimed at granting funding to companies for activities aligned with the Spoke 8 – Serics project “Security and Rights in the Cyberspace” - “Risk Management and Governance”, within the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 “Education and Research” – Component 2 “From Research to Business” – Investment Line 1.3, funded by the European Union – “NextGenerationEU”, code PE00000014, CUP J33C22002810001.
The Grant Provision concerns the CLEAR project: “Cybersecurity Laboratory for Edge Computing and Advanced Research”, which, within the procedure outlined in the Director’s Decree Prot. No. 348590 of 06/11/2024, Rep. 6481/2024, has been approved for funding.
The initiative submitted by Net Service S.p.A., acronym CLEAR, CUP J33C22002810001, has been officially admitted for financing.
The increasing interconnection between IT and OT systems, combined with their complexity, makes critical infrastructures and essential services vulnerable to constantly evolving cyber threats. European directives such as NIS2, DORA, and ACN highlight the need for a systemic and interdisciplinary approach to cyber risk management.
In response to this need, this innovative project was created, integrating a layer of Federated Learning for cyber risk management, along with elements of resilience and privacy.
The project involves the establishment of an advanced cybersecurity laboratory, aimed at validating theoretical outcomes and developing Proofs of Concept and frameworks to support the execution of experiments.
Here are the main objectives of the project:
- Privacy and Regulatory Compliance
Creation of an advanced infrastructure capable of collecting Big Data from IT-OT environments, analyzing metrics, and integrating them into a DataLake designed with a privacy-by-design and by-default approach, in full compliance with the GDPR and relevant European regulations. This ensures that data can be used to enhance security without exposing specific details.
- Resilient Decentralized Architecture
Use of Federated Learning and Edge Computing to develop a system capable of ensuring scalability, security, and real-time adaptability. The decentralized architecture based on Edge Computing minimizes single points of failure and ensures operational continuity even in the event of cyberattacks.
- Innovation and Security
Development of advanced methodologies for cyber risk management, with a focus on predictive models and artificial intelligence applied to IT-OT security.
- Training and Knowledge Sharing
Promotion of a cybersecurity culture through specialized training and collaboration with industry experts.
To ensure the success of the initiative, the project is structured around five key actions:
- Technological and Regulatory Analysis
Assessment of the latest IT and OT technologies, with a focus on cyber risk management (potentially supported by AI models), Edge Computing, and alignment with European regulations.
- Design of the Cybersecurity Laboratory
Definition of an innovative, scalable, and resilient infrastructure that integrates advanced security tools and secure smart systems.
- Development of Federated Learning Algorithms
Creation of distributed artificial intelligence models to enhance the protection of critical infrastructures.
- Validation and Testing
Implementation of realistic scenarios to test the effectiveness of the developed solutions, using advanced monitoring tools and blockchain-based notarization.
- Project Management and Dissemination of Results
Coordination of the entire process and dissemination of the acquired knowledge to maximize the project’s impact.
CLEAR represents a decisive step forward for Net Service toward a more secure and adaptable IT-OT ecosystem, capable of responding to emerging cyber challenges. The integration of Federated Learning, Edge Computing, and regulatory compliance enables the development of advanced solutions for the protection of critical infrastructures and the proactive management of cyber risk.
Gianluca Ortolani, CEO of Net Service S.p.A., commented:
"The launch of this laboratory confirms the Group's commitment to Cyber Security—an area of strategic importance for our country, and one on which we have focused our efforts and resources for years. We are extremely grateful and proud of this collaboration with Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, which will allow us to apply and further develop the deep CYBER expertise of the entire Net Service Group."
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