On the occasion of the inauguration of the Luxembourg House of Cybersecurity, Franz Fayot shared his vision of the Luxembourg cyber ecosystem and the country’s positioning in this field in Europe.
On October 17th, the Luxembourg House of Cybersecurity (LHC) was inaugurated, replacing SECURITYMADEIN LU.
If the cybersecurity agency remains dedicated to the Luxembourg economy and to the municipalities, by changing its name, logo, and headquarters, LHC now aims to become a place of welcome for the general public, hosting entities active in the field of cybersecurity, but also meetings between the actors of the cyber ecosystem.
This transformation also follows its nomination as National Coordination Center for Cybersecurity (NCC), which also represents Luxembourg within this European network.
The inauguration of the premises was carried out by the Minister of Economy Franz Fayot together with HRH the Hereditary Grand Duke and Pascal Steichen the CEO of the LHC.
On this occasion, the minister detailed to Silicon Luxembourg his vision of the Luxembourg cyber ecosystem and the positioning of the country in this field in Europe.
Mr. Minister, what does this new step in the development of the Luxembourg cyber ecosystem inspire you?
With the launch of the Luxembourg House of Cybersecurity, this ecosystem created 20 years ago is now entering a new phase of growth. We can be proud of this development and of the people who have contributed to it.
What is new with the LHC is that we are able to bring together under one roof all the existing activities, such as BEESECURE, CIRCL, CASES or Room42 which is also a great tool to prepare for attacks, but also to host new activities and entities.
What is also new is the role of Luxembourg at the European level in terms of cybersecurity. We had applied to host the headquarters of the European Cyber Security Competence Centre (ECCC). Although Bucharest was chosen, its board of directors is chaired by Pascal Steichen for a renewable 3-year term. In my opinion, this is a real recognition of Luxembourg’s expertise in this field.
Another important step with the launch of the LHC is our new research and innovation pillar, which did not exist until now, which is linked to this European component and which we intend to develop in the coming years.
We are also seeing the emergence of an ecosystem of startups and companies specializing in cybersecurity and other players with cross-disciplinary skills.
All this makes a lot of novelties, and shows that Luxembourg has a good know-how at the service of Luxembourg companies and municipalities for the last 20 years.
What is your vision as minister in the field of cybersecurity?
Luxembourg has a proven track record in the fight against cybercrime and has recognized expertise in cybersecurity. We want to remain a strong promoter at European level of the digital single market, an open economy and a digital transition.
Our vision is to ensure that Luxembourg remains a pioneer in cybersecurity and in particular in open cybersecurity in the data economy. This is both the way forward and the future.
We are indeed a laboratory for European cooperation in this field. We have real expertise in these niches, thanks for example to the open source and open data solutions we are developing. Like MISP (1), a formidable platform used worldwide by American defense players in particular. Which is incredible!
The cyber ecosystem in general lacks diversity. How do you think it could become more inclusive?
These things will come by themselves organically. It’s not something we can decree. Some interdisciplinarity already exists. But in general, the integration of women in the digital professions must be developed of course.
In Luxembourg, a cybersecurity economy already exists; with cross-disciplinary skills that are being developed for the benefit of Luxembourg companies. And as everyone is vulnerable today, it is a real plus to have such a diversified ecosystem.
The Luxembourg House of Cybersecurity will reinforce this, by helping to create connections and synergies under its roof. In this field too, the creation of the LHC is a new step towards better cybersecurity in Luxembourg and in Europe.