News & Publications
Discover news about our activities and the latest publications on cybersecurity and emerging technologies.
Announcing Virtual Routes
We are pleased to announce the launch of Virtual Routes, an organization dedicated to tackling the impact of digital technologies on global affairs. As the role of digital and emerging technologies in the lives of people across the world grows – with the opportunity for greater prosperity, happiness, and individual fulfilment – so does the urgency of addressing their potential negative impacts.
Virtual Routes European Cybersecurity Fellowship 2025-2026: Applications Now Open
The European Cybersecurity Fellowship is a one-year program for talented professionals in Europe aiming to advance their careers in cybersecurity policy. Organized by Virtual Routes, the fellowship provides unique opportunities for learning, collaboration, and professional development in one of the most critical fields today.
AI and cybersecurity at Black Hat Europe
On December 10th, Virtual Routes co-director James Shires joined a panel of experts at the AI Summit at BlackHat Europe on "Navigating Standards, Regulations, and Risk Management in AI for Cybersecurity." His remarks focused on the evolving relationship between artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, and implications for governance, regulation, and education.
Virtual Routes’ Co-Director Max Smeets attends the launch of the Cybersecurity Seminar program at Riga Technical University in Latvia
On December 9, Riga Technical University (RTU) announced the launch of their Google.org Cybersecurity Seminar program. Virtual Routes supports the implementation of the program.
Support the European Cybersecurity Fellowship Program
The European Cybersecurity Fellowship, one of Virtual Routes' flagship programs, is a year-long initiative designed to help highly talented young European professionals advance their careers in cybersecurity policy.
Virtual Routes welcomes Jamie Collier as Senior Research Associate
Dr Jamie Collier is the Lead Threat Intelligence Advisor in EMEA at Google Cloud. He works with organisations to help them understand their threat landscape and build threat intelligence capabilities.
Local Community Organization (LCO) Engagement Guide
This guide provides best practices for higher education institutions when engaging with Local Community Organizations (LCOs) in practical cybersecurity education, especially as part of the Google.org Cybersecurity Seminars.
Launching the Cybersecurity and AI Readings Portal
We are excited to introduce the Cybersecurity and AI Readings Portal, a resource created as part of our Cybersecurity Seminar Program supported by Google.org. This portal is designed to assist instructors at universities across the world in building their syllabus for courses in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
MSC and Binding Hook Present: The AI Cybersecurity Essay Prize Competition
Munich Security Conference (MSC) and Binding Hook proudly announce the AI-Cybersecurity Essay Prize Competition, inviting experts to explore the impact of Artificial Intelligence on cybersecurity.
European Cybersecurity Fellows 2024-2025 in Brussels for the annual field trip
On October 24-25, the annual ECCRI field trip brought the European Cybersecurity Fellows to Brussels for an intensive two-day agenda with key EU, NATO, and industry stakeholders.
Managing the challenges of AI detection in Academia
This report, researched during summer 2024, examines the increased use of AI chatbots in academia following the launch of ChatGPT in 2022 and the response by educational institutions through AI detection tools.
A Guide on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in Cybersecurity Education
This guide provides an overview of best practices for incorporating equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) into practical cybersecurity education, especially in the Google.org Cybersecurity Seminars program.
Research Report: The strategic and symbolic value of digital technologies
In a new report released today, ECCRI explores how states attach strategic value to digital technologies.
ECCRI holds the Oxford Cyber Forum
On 27 June, ECCRI held the inaugural Oxford Cyber Forum, in partnership with the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. Across a packed day, the Oxford Cyber Forum held unique sessions that combined strategic insights with deep expertise on specific issues.
Transforming the cybersecurity workforce with AI
On 13 June, ECCRI CIC Co-Director James Shires spoke at the AI Summit in London. His remarks, on a panel about improving enterprise cybersecurity, focused on the role of AI in transforming the cybersecurity workforce.
ECCRI presents at the first REMIT Conference in Leuven
From 16 to 17 May 2024, the ECCRI team and community members presented at REMIT’s 1st Conference at KU Leuven in Belgium.
ECCRI CIC launches the Cyber Education Pathways Initiative
The Cyber Education Pathways Initiative is an unprecedented drive to build enduring cybersecurity capabilities worldwide, focusing particularly on countries and regions with limited current opportunities for such education.
ECCRI CIC on cybersecurity diplomacy in the Middle East
Cybersecurity diplomacy is a fast-growing sub-field of cybersecurity, helping a highly elaborate and ritualized sphere of politics to adjust to threats stemming from new digital technologies.
Announcing the 2024-2025 ECCRI European Cybersecurity Fellowship Cohort: Fresh Perspectives, Collective Growth
The ECCRI European Cybersecurity Fellowship welcomes fourteen new fellows for 2024-2025 from government, civil society, academia and the private sector.
Extension of the European Cybersecurity Seminars program with new AI component
Google.org and the European Cyber Conflict Research Incubator are excited to announce the extension of the European Cybersecurity Seminars program to all 27 EU countries.
How to turn your research into an op-ed
You’ve spent weeks, months, or years researching a topic and you’d like to share your findings with a wider audience. You’re an expert academic writer and know how to bulletproof your work against peer review. But to reach a wider audience, the research needs to be presented a different way – a way that may not feel natural to somebody trained in the academic world.
An Analysis of Cybersecurity Education Programs in Europe: Key Findings
This report presents key findings from an initial assessment of cybersecurity educational programs in seven European countries: the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Poland, Romania, and Ukraine. These countries were chosen because they are all participants in the open call for the Google.org Cybersecurity Seminars program.
ECCRI hosted a two-day REMIT workshop in Leuven
During 20-21 December 2023, ECCRI in collaboration with KU Leuven organised a workshop focused on the nature of strategic digital technologies, such as 5G/6G, artificial intelligence, cloud-based infrastructure, or quantum computing.
AI safety and security in the European Cybersecurity Seminar Program
On Thursday 30 November, ECCRI CIC spoke about the Google.org European Cybersecurity Seminars program at the Google Research Day on AI Safety, Security, and Privacy in Paris, France. The Cybersecurity Seminars program was a perfect fit for a day filled with the latest research on AI safety and security, attended by academics and university students from across France.
Google.org and ECCRI CIC unveil European Cybersecurity Seminar Program in Malaga
The European Cybersecurity Seminar program was officially announced on November 29, 2023, in Malaga. This announcement, made by the European Cyber Conflict Research Incubator (ECCRI CIC) in partnership with Google.org, Google's philanthropic arm, coincided with the inauguration of Google's new office in the city.
ECCRI Cybersecurity Fellows attended IGF 2023 in Kyoto
Three ECCRI Cybersecurity 2023-2024 Fellows - Cat Easdon, Aideen Fay, and Nils Brinker - presented their research at the 18th annual meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) that was hosted by the Government of Japan in Kyoto from 8 to 12 October 2023.
Introducing Binding Hook: ECCRI’s Innovative Media Hub
It’s here! The European Cyber Conflict Research Initiative (ECCRI) is happy and proud to introduce Binding Hook, a new media outlet to gather expert perspectives on digital and emerging technologies and security. Managing Editors Max Smeets and James Shires are thrilled to introduce you to this new platform and here’s why.
The ECCRI launches a new Associate program, and welcomes two Senior Research Associates
ECCRI welcomes Dan Black and Jamie MacColl as the inaugural Senior Research Associates to the newly launched Associate program.
ECCRI to lead the tech governance work package of Horizon funded REMIT project
ECCRI will lead the technology governance work package of the REMIT consortium from March 2023 for a span of four years. The project has been granted a total of 3 million euros and is coordinated by the University of Maastricht.
The Cyber Dimensions of the Russia-Ukraine War
On the 28th of February 2023, the European Cyber Conflict Research Initiative (ECCRI) held a workshop to reflect on wartime cyber operations in Ukraine, supported by the UK National Cyber Security Centre.
Tallinn Workshop Report
What key lessons can we draw from the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine about the role of cyber operations in military conflict? How do Russian cyber operations differ in wartime compared to peacetime activity? And what cyber activity can we expect in the months ahead?
