The COcyber project held its 3rd General Assembly in Brussels on June 23–24, bringing together partners and Advisory Board members to review progress and shape next steps for bridging civilian and defence cybersecurity efforts

COcyber took part in GITEX EUROPE to present the project, highlight the AI Cybersecurity Deephack as a tangible outcome, and engage with stakeholders working across civil and defence innovation. The event underlined growing interest in practical dual-use applications, with positive feedback from both institutional actors and startups already active in the defence space.

In this interview, Team GENSHIELD-AI, third-prize winners of the COcyber AI Cybersecurity Deephack, share how they developed PhishNet — a multilingual phishing detection system. They discuss their dual-use design for civilian and defence applications, the importance of explainability in AI, and their plans to further develop GENSHIELD-AI for real-world deployment.

Georges Ataya represented COcyber at ATEC 2024 to engage with stakeholders on European security and defence training. He highlighted COcyber’s initiatives, including public consultations, to strengthen collaboration in addressing cybersecurity challenges.

The COcyber Cybersecurity Platform provides a unified, trusted space for collaboration, integrating resources and tools to enhance Europe’s cybersecurity resilience and foster civilian-defence cooperation. With its dynamic Observatory and interactive features, it empowers stakeholders to address evolving threats and build a sustainable, secure digital future for Europe.

Europe’s rising cyber threats highlight the need for unified action. COcyber supports initiatives like the NIS2 Directive, EU Cyber Defence Policy, Cyber Resilience Act, Cybersecurity Act, Digital Europe Programme, Horizon Europe Programme, and the Cyber Solidarity Act, with a focus on strengthening protection and collaboration across sectors.

Georges Ataya from our consortium partner Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management participated in the 25th ESDC EAB.Cyber Meeting, where the agenda covered AI’s role in digital transformation, cybersecurity training initiatives, and key updates from the wider network.