Cybersecurity: EU allocates €145,5 million for SMEs and public administrations

The European Commission is making €145,5 million available to support SMEs and public administrations in implementing cybersecurity solutions and adopting research findings in the sector. Two calls for proposals have been opened for this purpose:

Part of the Digital Europe Programme, the first call has a total budget of €55 million, of which €30 million are earmarked for strengthening the cybersecurity of hospitals and healthcare providers. The deadline is 7 October 2025. Specifically, the Digital Europe calls are as follows:
- DIGITAL-ECCC-2025-DEPLOY-CYBER-08-CYBERHEALTH: Action dedicated to strengthening hospitals and healthcare workers;
- DIGITAL-ECCC-2025-DEPLOY-CYBER-08-NCC: Strengthening the NCC network;
- DIGITAL-ECCC-2025-DEPLOY-CYBER-08-PUBLICPQC: Transition to Post-Quantum Public Key Infrastructures.
The second call is part of the broader Horizon Europe Programme and has a budget of €90,5 million. Its aim is to support the use of generative AI, strengthen privacy protection and the development of post-quantum cryptography. The deadline is 12 November 2025. Specifically, the Horizon Europe calls are the following:
- HORIZON-CL3-2025-02-CS-ECCC-01: Generative Artificial Intelligence for Cybersecurity Applications with an overall budget of €40 million to fund 3 projects;
- HORIZON-CL3-2025-02-CS-ECCC-02: New advanced tools and processes for operational cybersecurity with an overall budget of €23.55 million to fund 4 projects;
- HORIZON-CL3-2025-02-CS-ECCC-03: Privacy-enhancing technologies with an overall budget of €11 million to fund 3 projects;
- HORIZON-CL3-2025-02-CS-ECCC-04: Security evaluations of post-quantum cryptography (PQC) primitives with a budget of €4 million to fund 2 projects;
- HORIZON-CL3-2025-02-CS-ECCC-05: Security of post-quantum cryptography algorithm implementations with a budget of €6 million to fund 2 projects;
- HORIZON-CL3-2025-02-CS-ECCC-06: Integration of Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) Algorithms into High-Level Protocols with a budget of €6 million to fund 2 projects.

For more information: info@iniziativa.cc

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Success Cases

Business Process Reengineering

Reorganization of the activities and processes of the offices in which the organization is organized with the aim of improving the offer of services provided to users with a view to optimizing the available resources and the digital transition

Sector: Local authorities - Organizational and process reengineering
Date: 2022

CA.MPANIA

MEASUREMENT CHARACTERIZATION OF POLYMERS: NON-INVASIVE ANALYSIS

Contract: Campania startUp 2020
Project cost: €78.862,00
Contribution: €67.032,70
Date: June 2023

Corporate training

Support for the organization and delivery of the training program aimed at strengthening the capacity building of local public administrations in the field of Public Private Partnership (PPP)

Sector: Public Participate - capacity building of local authorities
Date: 2021

EINSTAIN

Engine INSTallation And INtegration

Program: HORIZON - Clean Sky2
Project cost: €1.472.500,00
Contribution: €1.060.900,00
Date: January 2016

FAST TRACKS

Fast radio technologies for uninterrupted train to trackside communications

Program: Horizon - SME Instrument
Project cost: €2.370.625,00
Contribution: €1.659.437,50
Date: July 2017

RECREATE

Recovery of aeronautical waste from the perspective of industry 4.0 and sustainability

Contract: Innovation Agreement
Project cost: €5.287.587,09
Contribution to spending: €2.908.522,09
Date: July 2022

SEGLUCO

“Eating well and gluten-free: development of a gluten-free croissant (already cooked and frozen) with valuable nutritional characteristics

Contract: PON Horizon2020
Project cost: €2.336.625,00
Contribution to spending: €812.156,25
Concessionary Financing: €467.325,00
Date: June 2021

MUNICIPALITY OF LUCCA – PORTA ELISA STADIUM

Technical assistance to the Grantor in the evaluation of a Project Financing proposal relating to a "Recovery with demolition and reconstruction of the "Porta Elisa Municipal Stadium" of Lucca and restoration of the historic grandstand" presented pursuant to Law 147/2013 and subsequently adjusted in compliance to Legislative Decree 38/2021

Sector: Sports Facilities PPP
Date: 2021

Protom Group SpA

Protom has acquired the Espero business branch, geographically expanding the market served, Iniziativa He provided a 360° view of the acquisition operation.

Acquisition transaction: Purchase of the business unit
Sector: Training
Deal: Undisclosed
Date: 2024

Management control and company organization

Design and support for the implementation of the management control system, the KPI dashboard for monitoring company performance and the optimization of the organizational structure and organizational and compliance processes from an ESG perspective

Sector: Production of Plastic Materials
Turnover: €69.978.904
Date: 2021

NASUM

Innovative nanotech-based detection equipment in the area of homeland security

Program: Horizon - SME Instrument
Project cost: €70.000
Contribution: €50.000
Date: 2016

PARTY

Fostering local energy investments in the Province of Matera

Program: Horizon
Project cost: €498.157,00
Contribution: €498.157,00
Date: October 2017

SEA SpA Hilton – Sorrento Palace

Renovation of 19 accommodation facilities in order to improve the competitiveness of the luxury segment (4 and 5 stars) of the tourist offer system of the Sorrento peninsula, the main tourist destination in Campania.

Contract: Development Contract
Project cost: €47.899.483,80
Non-refundable contribution: €15.011.599,00
Concessionary Financing: €19.423.370,00
Date: April 2020

SURE5.0

Supporting the smes SUstainability and REsilience transition towards industry 5.0 in the mobility, transport & automotive, aerospace and electronics European ecosystems

Program: Horizon
Project cost: €4.988.125,00
Contribution: €4.988.125,00
Date: June 2022

South Tyrol Health Authority

Technical assistance in the evaluation of a Project Financing proposal presented pursuant to paragraph 15 of the art. 183 of Legislative Decree 50/2016 relating to "Digitization and optimization of the sanitization service and the main Facility Management services of the buildings of the South Tyrol Health Authority"

Sector: Healthcare company PPP
Date: 2019

Corporate training

Planning of the training intervention and provision of training, in support of ANCI CAMPANIA, on the issues of Public Private Partnership to the Municipalities of the Campania Region for the simplification of relations with the Public Administrations and the increase in investment opportunities and valorisation of the municipal heritage

Sector: Association of Local Authorities - capacity building
Date: 2021

CLICK

Circular models Leveraging Investments in Cultural heritage adaptive reuse

Program: Horizon
Project cost: €4.957.033,00
Contribution: €4.957.033,00
Date: October 2017

Airtime

Iniziativa, as a financial advisor, assisted the Airtime Partecipazione group in the listing process on Euronext Paris.

Acquisition operation: IPO on Euronext
Sector: Telecommunications Services
Deal: Undisclosed
Date: 2021

MAGYCO

MEMS based appliance for gyro compassing in general aviation and unmanned aircraft applications equipment in the area of homeland security

Program: Horizon - SME Instrument
Project cost: €70.000
Contribution: €50.000
Date: 2016

Model 231 from 2001

Update of the company's Organization, Management and Control Model, drawn up pursuant to Legislative Decree 231 of 2001

Sector: Company subject to the management and coordination of Invitalia National Agency for Attracting Investments and Business Development SpA
Turnover: €11.444.972,00
Date: 2020

iGUESS-MED

Innovative Greenhouse Support System in the Mediterranean Region: efficient fertigation and pest management through IoT based climate control

Program: BEFORE
Project cost: €1.733.000,00
Contribution: €1.597.700,00
Date: April 2020

Tecno

Iniziativa assisted Tecno in the M&A process which saw them involved in the process of acquiring 65% of Aere. The acquisition is aimed at expanding the services offered by Tecno

Acquisition transaction: Purchase of majority stake
Sector: Energy services
Deal: Undisclosed
Date: 2021

BO Industries Srl

New production unit for the production, processing and marketing of butter

Contract: Industrial Development Contract
Project cost: €14.927.461,83
Non-refundable contribution: €6.275.400,00
Date: 2023

Evolutionary upgrading of the models in the assortment

Contract: Innovation Agreement
Project cost: €6.164.816,25
Contribution to spending: €2.073.702,19
Date: July 2022

H3PS

High Power High Scalability Aircraft Hybrid Powertrain

Program: Horizon
Project cost: €4.000.000,00
Contribution: €4.000.000,00
Date: March 2018

Be.CULTOUR

Beyond CULtural TOURism: human-centred innovations for sustainable and circular cultural tourism

Program: Horizon
Project cost: €4.097.203,75
Contribution: €3.993.328,75
Date: February 2021

Technical assistance

Technical assistance to the Managing Authority, to the Single Managers for Implementation/Action Line Managers and to the Certification Authority for the implementation of the intervention plan financed with the resources of the Regional Development and Cohesion Fund Campania for the programming periods 2000-2006, 2007-2013, 2014-2020, 2021-2027

Sector: Territorial authorities - Technical assistance for FSC programming, monitoring and reporting
Date: 2014 - 2026
FSC resource allocation assigned to the Campania Region: €9.323.000.000

Cantu Next

“Construction of the new multifunctional arena of Cantù” through the procedure provided for in paragraph 304 art. 1 of the 2014 stability law – Technical assistance to the proposer with particular reference to the drafting activities of the Economic and Financial Plan.

Sector: Sports facilities
Date: 2020

“NSS2023

Next Smart system in a marine environment

Contract: Innovation Agreement
Project cost: €6.431.394,25
Contribution to spending: €2.000.354,01
Date: September 2020

Management control

Development of the Investment Plan and the economic-financial plan for the opening of Mignon brand sales points of the company business in the main Italian cities and railway stations

Sector: Bars and other establishments
Turnover: €3.918.453
Date: 2018

€1.9 billion Production investments supported | €435 billion Investments in Research & Innovation subsidized | 200 active customers with hundreds of completed transactions | 100 Project Financing/PPP Operations Supported | €1.9 billion Production investments supported | €435 billion Investments in Research & Innovation subsidized | 200 active customers with hundreds of completed transactions | 100 Project Financing/PPP Operations Supported |