RISEBA has become the first private university in Latvia to receive significant funding for the enhancement of its cybersecurity systems
RISEBA University has launched an extensive cybersecurity enhancement project. The project plans to invest at least €120,000, with part of the funding covered by the cybersecurity competence community’s fund, which is aimed at improving cybersecurity for small and medium-sized enterprises. RISEBA has become the first and currently the only private university in Latvia to secure such significant funding for cybersecurity system improvements—the material support obtained amounts to €59,990.
To achieve its digitalization goals, RISEBA developed and submitted a cybersecurity system enhancement project to the Central Finance and Contracting Agency (CFLA) in an open project competition, where 11 projects were submitted. The initiative by the CFLA aims to promote the improvement of cybersecurity and IT systems for small and medium-sized enterprises. The cybersecurity system enhancement is linked to the implementation of the NIS2 Directive, which seeks to establish a unified, high level of cybersecurity across the European Union.
The implementation of the NIS2 Directive is particularly important in education, as it focuses on increasing infrastructure security, protecting user data, and strengthening systems against overloads and external attacks. The NIS2 Directive applies to several potentially vulnerable sectors, including educational institutions, which process and store sensitive personal data, essential research results, and are involved in intellectual property protection and know-how information.
“We handle a significant amount of information—this includes the personal data of RISEBA staff and students, as well as intellectual property related to ongoing research. We are a responsible educational institution and understand that information security today must be of the highest level. Ensuring proper cybersecurity requires improving existing technologies and processes, which demands investment. Moreover, one of the key principles of the university’s strategy is digitalization and strengthening cybersecurity. Over the next six months, we plan to invest at least €120,000 in technology improvements. The co-financing we have received from the Central Finance and Contracting Agency (CFLA) will help us achieve our goals more quickly, making the cybersecurity enhancement process efficient. We are pleased that we will be able to provide a modern, secure, and productive environment for our staff and students,” says Valters Kaže, RISEBA’s Vice-Rector for Science and Development.
As part of the project, the university plans to implement new server and network infrastructure technologies—this will ensure better data protection, automated data backups, and version maintenance. New network load management infrastructure solutions will also be introduced, along with preventive measures to prevent security incidents, including the use of artificial intelligence opportunities.
The strengthening of the university’s cybersecurity will be carried out gradually—partners will be evaluated according to good governance practices, following appropriate procurement procedures.
RISEBA University of Business, Arts, and Technology is a private university with over 30 years of experience. It offers competitive education and prepares high-level specialists and leaders in the fields of business and creative industries.
