Participants:

• TECNALIA: Juncal Alonso, Cristina Martinez
• Bosch: Jesus Luna
• Demokritos: Akis Kourtis, George Xolouris
• FhG: Immanuel Kunz
• CNR: Michela Fazzolari

On February 29, 2024, an important meeting occurred between representatives of two groundbreaking Horizon Europe (HE) projects, EMERALD and COBALT. This meeting aimed to explore potential avenues for collaboration, leveraging their unique strengths to enhance cybersecurity measures across Europe.

The primary objective was to identify and discuss potential collaboration opportunities between the EMERALD and COBALT projects. Both initiatives are at the forefront of developing advanced cybersecurity solutions, with a keen focus on certification processes and technology interoperability. The gathering served as a platform for exchanging ideas, understanding each project’s core objectives and methodologies, and exploring how a unified effort could address the broader challenges facing European industries today.

About the Projects

COBALT is pioneering the development of a Common Certification Model (CCM) for European industries. This model integrates existing standards into a unified cybersecurity framework, extending the concept of Digital Twinning (DT) across various sectors, including Quantum Computing and Industry 4.0. The project emphasizes technology disruption, particularly through Artificial Intelligence (AI) and High-Performance Computing (HPC), to enhance the certification of Quantum Processing Oracles and other technological paradigms. COBALT also prioritizes trusted information exchange, leveraging International Data Spaces (IDS) for secure data sharing among stakeholders, and aims to build a decentralized solution to foster technology adoption and harmonization across industries.

EMERALD focuses on Continuous Cloud Certification-as-a-service (CaaS) to tackle the complexities of certifying cloud-based services. The project addresses key challenges such as technology interoperability, the adoption of cloud and edge computing, regulatory compliance, market fragmentation, and the integration of intelligent tools. EMERALD’s solution comprises two proofs of concept: composite certification and the mapping of requirements to forthcoming AI certification schemes, aiming to facilitate agile monitoring and assessment processes as outlined by the EU Cybersecurity Act certifications.

The meeting between EMERALD and COBALT representatives unveiled the complementary nature of their projects. Both teams recognized the potential for collaboration, particularly in areas like technology interoperability, the integration of AI in certification processes, and the establishment of a secure, trusted framework for information exchange across industries. This meeting marks the beginning of what promises to be a fruitful collaboration between the EMERALD and COBALT projects. By combining their expertise and resources, these projects stand to make significant strides in advancing cybersecurity certification processes and technology interoperability, ultimately contributing to a safer and more secure digital future for Europe. Stay tuned as we continue to chart the progress of this exciting partnership.