UBITECH is pleased to announce its participation in the WEM Cyber project (Widening Excellence and Mentoring in Cybersecurity), a 36-month Horizon Europe initiative, with Grant Agreement Number 101216854, officially launched at its Kick-off Meeting on 27 February 2026, hosted by Bilisim Vadisi in Istanbul, Turkey. The project brings together a multidisciplinary European consortium committed to advancing women’s careers in cybersecurity, fostering academia–industry collaboration, and building research capacity across Widening countries. WEM Cyber’s mission is to boost women’s participation and expertise in cybersecurity through targeted secondments, mentorship, and skills development programmes. By fostering collaboration between academia and industry, the project aims to build research capacity and facilitate knowledge exchange, equipping participants with the entrepreneurial and leadership skills necessary to excel, and thereby contribute to the mitigation of brain drain in widening countries.
The project’s kick-off meeting, held over two days, brought together all consortium partners to align on objectives, implementation plans, and collaboration mechanisms. The agenda covered work package sessions on project management, academia–industry secondments, entrepreneurship and employability enhancement, communication and dissemination, and ethics requirements. Discussions focused on operational planning for the first project phase, including the implementation of structured secondments, mentoring activities, and training actions designed to create practical entry points into cybersecurity careers.
Within WEM Cyber, UBITECH leads the design and development of the project’s digital infrastructure — the web-based Knowledge Transfer Platform — aimed at facilitating the sharing of best practices, research findings, and resources among project participants. The platform will serve as a central repository and collaborative hub throughout the project’s implementation, driving knowledge exchange and amplifying the overall impact of the WEM Cyber initiative.
UBITECH’s contribution focuses on creating a user-friendly, secure environment capable of hosting various content types, including research generated by secondments, outputs from training sessions, and administrative and operational documents. The platform is designed to enable a more effective knowledge-sharing process within the consortium and will include a comprehensive repository of all research outputs generated through the secondment programme.
The technical work is led by UBITECH’s Data & AI Systems (DAI) Research Group, which spearheads the development of interdisciplinary methodologies pertinent to the design and implementation of intelligent systems, with an emphasis on AI, machine learning, and transformative data technologies.
“WEM Cyber represents an important opportunity for UBITECH to leverage our expertise in digital platform development and knowledge management in support of a cause that truly matters: ensuring that women can access, contribute to, and lead in the field of cybersecurity. We are committed to building a platform that serves as a lasting, impactful resource for the entire consortium.”
— Dr. Sophia Karagiorgou, Head, Data & AI Systems (DAI) Research Group, UBITECH
“Being part of WEM Cyber is both a professional and personal commitment. The project addresses a gap that the cybersecurity community can no longer afford to overlook. At UBITECH, we will ensure that the Knowledge Transfer Platform we develop not only meets the technical requirements of the project but actively empowers every participant to grow, connect, and contribute.”
— Ms. İrem Döken Göymen, Delivery & Fundraising Manager, Head, Data & AI Systems (DAI) Research Group, UBITECH
WEM Cyber is coordinated by Bilisim Vadisi (Turkey) and brings together eight consortium partners: Bilisim Vadisi, Bogazici University, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, University of Maribor, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse III, Women4Cyber Foundation, and UBITECH. The consortium is further supported by five affiliated entities: SecroMix, SphereTech, Cyberwhiz, Cloudmetrik, and Cyberware (Oninc).
