DIZisITDay — a day dedicated to cybersecurity

Organizers: Digital Innovation Zone – EDIH, Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iași (TUIASI) and Technical University of Moldova (UTM).

When: Friday, 21 November 2025, from 10:00

Where: TUIASI – Faculty of Industrial Design and Business Management, Ground Floor, SMARTER Room. Location here.

Theme of the day: Advanced education and digital hubs for strengthening cybersecurity and supporting SMEs

The activities take place in the context of the international programmes MERIT, CAMPUS and XDIH.

Registration link

Why is it worth coming?

If you are a bachelor’s, master’s or PhD student, you will find:

real-life examples of attacks and cybersecurity solutions;
direct insights from international professionals;
ideas for projects, research, internships or collaborations with companies and DIHs;
access to European networks (MERIT, XDIH, CAMPUS) that open doors to mobilities, certifications and projects.

If you represent a company (SME or corporation), you will find:

practical discussions on how you can strengthen your cybersecurity and digital resilience;
connections with partners from Romania and the Republic of Moldova, in the logic of the cross-border hub XDIH, which supports digital education and the digitalization of SMEs in North-Eastern Romania and the Republic of Moldova;
a regional working framework (CAMPUS) designed especially for authorities, universities and companies that want to strengthen their infrastructure, policies and cybersecurity competences.

Event agenda

🎉 10:00 – 10:30 | Participant welcome & networking: Participant check-in.
Opportunity to meet students, academic staff, experts and company representatives.

🛠️ 10:30 – 12:30 | Workshop 1: MERIT International Industry Engagement Workshop on Cybersecurity (EN)

Moderator: Mr. Dr. Adarsh Kumar (Cybersecurity expert @ Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya)

10:30 – 10:40 | Welcome
10:40 – 10:55 | Keynote speaker – Mr. Dinu ȚURCANU, Vice-Rector for Digitalization @ UTM: Perspective on cybersecurity and digitalization in a technical university
10:55 – 11:15 | Keynote speaker – Ioana Călărașu, Head of Department @ NCC Romania: Funding opportunities and NCC-RO initiatives for alignment with the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) and the NIS2 Directive
11:15 – 11:25 | Cybersecurity policy options to mitigate risks in System-of-Systems (CYSOS) – Kenneth Lind, Ph.D., Research Leader / Senior Researcher @ RISE Research Institutes of Sweden
11:25 – 11:35 | ATHENA: Cyber resilience of critical infrastructure in the water sector – Sebastiaan Schuemie MScBA CISSP GICSP, Coordinating / Specialist Advisor Cyber Security @ Rijkswaterstaat CIV
11:35 – 12:30 | Collaborative discussion. Interactive Q&A session.

🎯 For students & PhD candidates: an excellent opportunity to see what cybersecurity looks like in large-scale projects and real infrastructures.

🎯 For companies: a space where you can put your challenges on the table so they can be reflected in training, research and services of the EDIH/XDIH hubs.

🍽️ 12:30 – 13:00 | Lunch break. We encourage discussions between students & professors, SMEs & experts, representatives of authorities & DIH hubs.

👥 13:00 – 14:30 | Workshop 2: RO-MD Partnerships for Resilience: How academia supports SMEs in strengthening cybersecurity

Speakers:

Mr. Dinu ȚURCANU (cybersecurity expert, Pro-Rector for Digitalization, Technical University of Moldova – Universitatea Tehnică a Moldovei);
Mr. Marius DUMITRAȘCU (Head of Research, Training and Partnerships at Cybercor);
Mr. Catalin Mironeanu (cybersecurity expert, Assistant Prof. @ Technical University Gheorghe Asachi of Iasi) – Cybersecurity skills needs and EDIH solutions.

Session focus:

the role of TUIASI and UTM universities within XDIH – Cross-border Digital Innovation Hub, as a bridge between education and SMEs;
examples of RO–MD collaborations in cybersecurity;
how SMEs can use digital innovation hubs for assessments, training and pilot solutions.

☕ 14:30 – 15:00 | Break

🤝 15:00 – 16:00 | Regional consultative working group on cybersecurity CAMPUS (access by invitation only – details here)

The consultative group is a structure created within the CAMPUS – Digital Campuses for European Resilience project, to strengthen digital resilience in the North-East region, through collaboration between authorities, universities, DIHs and IT&C companies.

15:00 – 15:05 | Opening remarks: the group’s purpose and its connection to the region’s digital resilience
15:05 – 15:15 | Tour de table. Presentation of the working group members: role, field, how they can contribute.
15:15 – 15:55 | Applied discussions – lessons from Bretagne Cyber Campus → actions for the North-East Region
15:55 – 16:00 | Conclusions and next steps. Summary, priority topics and timeline for upcoming CAMPUS meetings.

Context: MERIT, XDIH and CAMPUS

MERIT – an international programme that connects universities and industry, to align master and research programmes with real market needs for digital skills and cybersecurity competences.
XDIH – Cross-border Digital Innovation Hub – a RO–MD cross-border cooperation structure, based on the Digital Innovation Hub concept, aimed at supporting digital education and the digitalization of SMEs in North-Eastern Romania and the Republic of Moldova (shared educational infrastructure, common digital curriculum, initiatives for SME digitalization).
CAMPUS – Digital Campuses for European Resilience – a European programme dedicated to strengthening digital resilience in the North-East region, through a regional consultative group on cybersecurity that brings together authorities, universities, DIH hubs and IT&C companies, to propose policies, share good practices and develop digital competences.

Cybersecurity Day brings these three directions to the same place on the same day:

education (MERIT, XDIH),
support for SMEs (XDIH, EDIH DIZ),
regional resilience and public policies (CAMPUS).

Short bio of speakers

Speakers biographies

Dinu Țurcanu

Vice-Rector for Digitalization, Technical University of Moldova

Dinu Țurcanu is Vice-Rector for Digitalization and Associate Professor at the Technical University of Moldova, Chisinau. With over 20 years of experience in IT and cybersecurity, he combines deep technical expertise with strategic leadership in digital transformation. Holding a Ph.D. in Engineering and multiple certifications from Cisco, Mikrotik, CompTIA, ISC, and HPE, Dr. Țurcanu has authored over 100 publications and patents. His work drives innovation in network security and digital transformation across academia and industry.

Marius Dumitrașcu

Head of Research, Training and Partnerships, Cybercor

Marius Dumitrașcu is Head of Research, Training and Partnerships at the National Institute for Innovation in Cybersecurity “Cybercor” in Moldova, where he leads applied research, education programs and collaboration initiatives in cybersecurity. With nearly two decades of experience in software engineering, enterprise IT and cyber security, he combines deep technical expertise with a strong focus on hands-on learning and talent development. As Managing Director at CODWER and lecturer at the Technical University of Moldova, he has mentored students and professionals through internships, competitions and practical labs that simulate real-world attack and defense scenarios. His work is dedicated to building the next generation of cybersecurity specialists and strengthening Moldova’s cyber resilience through close cooperation between academia, industry and public institutions.

Ioana Călărașu

Head of Department, National Coordination Centre for Cybersecurity (NCC-RO)

Ioana Călărașu is Head of Department at the Romanian National Coordination Centre for Cybersecurity (NCC-RO), the national hub supporting EU-level efforts to strengthen cyber resilience. In her role, she coordinates funding opportunities and NCC-RO initiatives that help organisations align with the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) and the NIS2 Directive, connecting national stakeholders with European programmes and resources. She works closely with public authorities, companies and research organisations to translate regulatory requirements into practical roadmaps, projects and support tools that enhance cybersecurity readiness across Romania.

Cătălin Mironeanu

Assistant Prof., Ph.D., “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iași (TUIASI)

Cătălin Mironeanu, Ph.D. is a faculty Assistant Prof., Ph.D. at the “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iași (TUIASI), within the Faculty of Automatic Control and Computer Engineering. With a background in computer science and cybersecurity and a Ph.D. focused on preventing cyberattacks using data mining techniques, his research explores proactive security, intrusion detection and the use of machine learning and data mining in cybersecurity. He is actively involved in research projects and mentoring students, contributing to the development of a strong academic and practitioner community in information security.

Kenneth Lind

Ph.D., Research Leader / Senior Researcher, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden

Kenneth Lind, Ph.D. is Research Leader and Senior Researcher at RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, where he works in the Systems Engineering unit with a focus on cyber-physical systems, transport and logistics. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Chalmers University of Technology and an M.Sc. in Engineering Physics and Electrical Engineering from Linköping University, and has around 20 years of experience as a system architect in the automotive industry and applied research. His research centres on system and software architecture, model- and data-driven development for embedded and cyber-physical systems, as well as digital collaboration solutions such as the Virtual Watch Tower for resilient, data-driven supply chains.

Sebastiaan Schuemie

MScBA, CISSP, GICSP, Coordinating / Specialist Advisor in Cyber Security, Rijkswaterstaat CIV

Sebastiaan Schuemie, MScBA, CISSP, GICSP is a Coordinating / Specialist Advisor in Cyber Security at Rijkswaterstaat, the Dutch national agency responsible for main roads and waterways, where he focuses on securing critical ICT and OT infrastructure that underpins smart mobility and vital services. With a background that combines management, information security and architecture, he has extensive experience in protecting complex data flows and ensuring the integrity, availability and confidentiality of traffic and infrastructure systems. As project leader of the EU-funded ATHENA initiative, he works with European partners to develop innovative, scientifically grounded training modules that simulate cyberattacks on critical infrastructure in the water sector, helping operators and engineers build practical cyber resilience.

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