BUSİBER is a partner in the EU Horizon-funded WEM Cyber project, supporting the development of the next generation of women leaders in cybersecurity across Europe.

Europe is currently facing a significant shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals, while women represent only around 22% of the workforce in this critical field. This imbalance not only reflects structural inequalities but also limits Europe’s ability to fully leverage its talent pool in an area that is vital for digital resilience and economic security. The EU-funded WEM Cyber project addresses this challenge by fostering strong collaboration between academia and industry across seven European countries. Within this initiative, BUSİBER – the Cyber Security Research and Application Center of Boğaziçi University – plays an active role in developing advanced cybersecurity skills, facilitating knowledge exchange, and supporting the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.

Through secondments, personalised mentorship and targeted training activities, the WEM Cyber project provides participants with structured opportunities to gain hands-on experience in real cybersecurity environments. As part of the consortium, BUSİBER contributes its extensive expertise in cybersecurity research, training, penetration testing and governance frameworks, helping participants develop both technical and strategic capabilities. Each participant follows a personalised career development plan designed to strengthen technical knowledge while also building leadership, innovation and entrepreneurial competencies that are essential for the evolving cybersecurity landscape.

A key focus of the project is increasing women’s participation and leadership in cybersecurity. By combining academic research with industry-driven practices, the consortium aims to create a supportive environment where participants can develop cutting-edge cybersecurity expertise while expanding their professional networks across Europe. BUSİBER’s experience in interdisciplinary cybersecurity training, international collaborations and applied security projects enables the centre to play a key role in bridging the gap between academic knowledge and practical cybersecurity skills.

The WEM Cyber project includes 38 international secondments across five organisations, enabling researchers and professionals to work directly with partner institutions and gain practical experience in diverse cybersecurity contexts. These exchanges are expected to result in 29 scientific publications, contributions to at least 10 innovative cybersecurity solutions, and measurable improvements in participants’ career prospects. Beyond these outputs, the project aims to create a sustainable knowledge-sharing ecosystem that will continue to support cybersecurity capacity building across Europe.

The WEM Cyber consortium brings together eight partners from seven European countries including Türkiye, Greece, Slovenia, Lithuania, Spain, France and Belgium. Coordinated by Bilişim Vadisi, the consortium includes leading academic institutions, industry partners and civil society organisations such as the University of Maribor, University Pompeu Fabra, University Paul Sabatier, Women4Cyber, Ubitech, Vilnius Tech and Boğaziçi University through BUSİBER. Together, the partners are working to strengthen Europe’s cybersecurity capacity while promoting diversity, innovation and long-term collaboration in the cybersecurity ecosystem.

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