Google- Taking a holistic approach towards supporting cybersecurity skilling and closing the cybersecurity skills gap in Europe.
Google is committed to closing the cybersecurity skills and talent gap in the European Union. Through Google.org, Google’s philanthropy, we pledge to offer funding to create the first pan- European community of cybersecurity trainers among academic staff at 16+ universities (Phase 1) who will train at least 2,500 students (Phase 2) and support 3,000 local community organizations and small businesses (Phase 3) by the end of 2026.
Our pledge
At Google, we believe that to advance cybersecurity, we must work together on an international scale. We’re taking a bet on Europe’s digital future - and on a better, safer Internet for everyone– by pledging our support for the EU Cybersecurity Skills Academy. As part of this pledge, we are launching the Google.org Cybersecurity Seminars programme in Europe to ensure a more coordinated approach towards closing the cybersecurity talent gap.
Our initiative
A three-phase pledge to contribute towards building a strong pipeline of cyber experts in Europe, consisting of:
1. Collaborating with universities across Europe (Phase 1)
Description: The Google.org Cybersecurity Seminars programme is the first of its kind in Europe, offering European universities a cybersecurity training programme and curriculum to train staff, who will in turn train students from diverse backgrounds with no prior experience in cybersecurity skills. The programme will offer funding to create the first pan-European community of cybersecurity trainers among universities and academic staff.
Target: 16+ Universities across 7 EU countries and Ukraine
Location: Spain, Germany, France, Poland, Romania, Czechia, Greece, Ukraine
Language: the curriculum will be available in 12 European languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Greek, Polish, Romanian, Czech, and Ukrainian
Cost: Free
Link to the initiative
2. Providing training to students (Phase 2)
Description: The universities, supported by Virtual Routes (formerly the European Cyber Conflict Research Incubator (ECCRI)), will be provided with a specialist training curriculum, tuition, and best practices - preparing them to lead their own easily accessible and hands-on cybersecurity training to students from diverse backgrounds and all academic profiles.
Target: 2,500+ students from diverse backgrounds and all academic profiles across Europe.
Location:Spain, Germany, France, Poland, Romania, Czechia, Greece and Ukraine
Language: The curriculum will be available in 12 languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Greek, Polish, Romanian, Czech, and Ukrainian.
Cost: Free
Link to the initiative
3. Supporting small businesses and local organisations (Phase 3)
Description: The trained students, through internships, hackathons or mentorships, will support local organisations and small businesses in setting up their cybersecurity systems.
Target: 3,000 local organisations and small businesses.
Location: France, Spain, Poland, Romania, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Germany, and Greece.
Language: English, Spanish, French, German, Greek, Polish, Romanian, Czech, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, Italian and Latvian.
Cost: Free
Link to the initiative
Google is committed to reviewing and updating the status of this pledge every six months
Progress of the pledge: Update
As of February 2025, following the expansion of the Google.org Cybersecurity Seminars program last year, 17 universities across 11 EU countries and Ukraine have been selected to participate:.
- Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
- Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
- ESIEA, École supérieure d'informatique, électronique, automatique, France
- Institut polytechnique de Grenoble, France
- Masaryk University, Czechia
- Riga Technical University, Latvia
- Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Technical University of Munich, Germany
- Transilvania University of Brasov, Romania
- University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, Italy
- Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy
- University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg
- University of Malaga, Spain
- Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Lithuania
- Warsaw University of Technology, Poland
- Drohobych Ivan Frank Pedagogical University, Ukraine
- Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine
This exceeds the initial commitment to implement the program in 8 EU countries. Universities have recently launched their programs—or are in the process of doing so—and have begun recruiting participants.
Background
Building from our product expertise and years of experience with digital skills training through our Grow with Google initiatives, we have taken a holistic approach to contributing towards building Europe’s cybersecurity capacity. To this end, we have launched a number of programs that address different types of learners:
● Building on our broader Google Career Certificates program, in 2023, we launched the Google Cybersecurity Certificate in English, French, and Spanish. The Certificate prepares learners for a new career in the high-growth field of cybersecurity in under six months, with no relevant experience required.
● To help underserved learners complete the full suit of Google Career Certificates , Google.org — Google’s philanthropic arm — has provided scholarships through a grant to INCO, who support NGOs across Europe. So far 13,000 learners who face systemic barriers to learning opportunities have successfully completed a certificate through INCO’s Work in Tech program, with the help of a tailored support system that can include childcare, language support or mentoring, for example.
● In addition, Google.org also provided grants to Women for Cyber (W4C) and INCO, to provide tailored wrap-around support and scholarships to 1,000 women from underserved backgrounds across Europe (France, Spain, Greece and Ukraine), helping them to complete the Google Cybersecurity Certificate and build their careers.
● Building further on our Grow with Google program, through which we partner closely with governments, experts and local organisations, we have also developed dedicated training for SMBs, to help them keep their business, employees, and customers safe online. The training is available online in 19 languages.
