The Warsaw University of Technology (PW) and Adam Mickiewicz University (UAM) in Poznań will receive a total of one million dollars to create educational programs in cybersecurity. The decision by Google was announced on Wednesday in Warsaw.
PW and UAM are among 17 academic centers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa that received grants from Google to support activities related to cybersecurity. In total, the digital giant will allocate 17 million dollars to the “Google.org Cybersecurity Seminar” program, with the Polish universities sharing one million dollars.
“Cybersecurity is a challenge that affects us all. We believe that investing in education in this area is building a safer future for us and our country,” said Magdalena Kotlarczyk, head of Google Poland, during the announcement ceremony on Wednesday.
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Artur Kuliński, a cybersecurity expert at Google Cloud, explained in an interview with PAP why the company is funding grants to academic centers: “We live in times of increasing cyber threats. On the other hand, the huge number of Google users and its role as a service provider on the internet make us feel strongly responsible for the security of our users and the internet.”
The head of Google Poland reminded that, according to EU estimates, there is a global shortage of even half a million network security specialists. “The world, Europe, Poland simply need more cybersecurity experts. If you choose this path, I can say with near certainty: there will be no shortage of work in this field,” she addressed the students present at the ceremony.
Prof. Michał Banaszak, Vice-Rector for Digitalization and Cooperation with the Economy at UAM and head of the School of Exact Sciences at the university, told PAP that the grant will allow the university to organize courses for at least several dozen students. “We will organize training that will teach new, safe behaviors in the digital world. We will also train in new technologies, teach students how to use classic tools related to cryptography. We will also introduce elements of quantum computing,” he announced.
He added that students and staff from the Faculty of Law at UAM will also participate in the training.
Meanwhile, the grant manager at the Warsaw University of Technology, Dr. Marek Porzeżyński, explained that the funds awarded to the university will benefit students from the Faculties of Administration and Social Sciences, Management, and Mechanical and Technical Sciences.
“The agreement with Google provides for the training of 200 specialists. These individuals will then conduct basic cybersecurity training in at least 250 community organizations, including primary and secondary schools,” he explained.
Prof. Banaszak concluded: “All these activities are simply meant to increase our security. And when we are secure, we will also be happy.”
The 17 universities that received Google grants were selected by the organization cooperating with the company, Virtual Routes – European Cyber Conflict Research Initiative
Article taken from service “Nauka w Polsce” (Science in Poland)
Milion dolarów od Google’a dla dwóch polskich uczelni | Nauka w Polsce
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