The Institute

Cybercrime, misinformation, privacy and data protection have also become real scientific and societal issues, due to the massive collection of data (whether consented to or not by users), the widespread of social networks and platforms for sharing personal information, among other factors. The development of artificial intelligence increases the need for an integral approach to cybersecurity.

As such, this proposal is intended to be multi-disciplinary, bringing together different communities in the digital sciences (mathematics, computer science, microelectronics, electronics, physics) as well as the legal and social sciences, whose approach adds an essential dimension to the societal understanding of security, and also to the design of solutions that are acceptable from a legal, ethical and economic point of view.

Today, the Occitanie region is recognized as a leader in the field of embedded systems security, particularly critical systems, taking into account all hardware, hardware/software and software layers, as well as vulnerabilities affecting low-level components (peripherals, physical layers, operating systems, etc.) or targeting wireless communication protocols.

ICO’s ambition is to position the Occitanie region as one of the top 3 cybersecurity clusters in France, and to contribute to the emergence of an industry of excellence, focusing on two application sectors that are historical markers for Occitanie: on the one hand, aeronautics, automotive and space, and on the other hand, healthcare.

The dynamic generated by this Institute is aimed at helping to set up collaborative projects in response to national and European calls for proposals, as well as partnerships with industry.

The ICO’s ambition is to become a driving force in effectively coordinating initiatives between the various players in Occitanie, in order to build responses to major calls for projects such as Horizon Europe, the 4^th Programme d’Investissements d’Avenir (PIA4) or the Programme et Équipement Prioritaire de Recherche (PEPR-Cybersecurity). Also to take advantage of the various existing partnership schemes (direct funding by industry, CIFRE theses, National Research Agency projects, among others).

The ICO is the ideal framework for enhancing the potential of cybersecurity research and innovation in Occitanie.

Our aim is also to foster the emergence of strong skills by supporting initial and continuing training, offering new training modules on specific subjects, and carrying out actions to raise awareness and disseminate scientific culture among young people (schools, colleges). Initially, these initiatives will help prepare young people for their integration into their future professional activities. Secondly, they will support the development of cybersecurity skills among industrial players (from managers to employees), to help reduce the risks associated with the malicious use of digital technology, and to better manage crisis situations. Last but not least, they will help to promote gender diversity in the digital sector.

To promote the cybersecurity research carried out in Occitanie, the ICO organizes scientific days and supports national and international events. A summer school and a visiting researchers program are also among the objectives set to enhance the Institute’s international dimension.

Ce Défi-Clé propose de fédérer, à travers l’ICO, les forces en cybersécurité pour une meilleure visibilité de la région Occitanie. L’Institut est un label de qualité pour les entreprises, un point d’entrée également permettant d’établir des liens pérennes de collaboration avec les grands laboratoires de recherche en cybersécurité, le monde socio-économique, en travaillant en synergie et de façon concertée avec le Centre Régional en Cybersécurité « Cyber’Occ », les partenaires industriels, les différents clusters et pôles de compétitivité régionaux.

Initiatives to encourage entrepreneurship and the creation of start-ups from our laboratories are also put in place in this context.

The aim here is to gain a better understanding of the risks associated with the deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, in particular their communication protocols, which are now massively present in our private and professional spaces, and more generally with the security of future programmable networks.

Research focuses on the development of advanced cryptographic techniques for securely processing encrypted data to protect user’s anonymity, in compliance with the GDPR, and on recommendations for making social networks safe from various forms of malice and abuse.

Issues linked to the acceptability, legality and ethics of security procedures, as well as regulatory means to foster trust, are also at the heart of the research carried out on this theme.

The aim is also to gain a better economic understanding of the links between competition and investment in cybersecurity.

The aim of this area is to master design, facilitate vulnerability identification and auditing, and explore the issues linked to artificial intelligence algorithms, both as a tool for reinforcing cybersecurity, and as a target for attacks.