NATO Science for Peace and Security Program (SPS) is an international program that supports scientific and educational projects in areas related to security and interaction between NATO countries and partners. Its main goal is to strengthen the defense capabilities of the Alliance’s member states and partners through cooperation in science and technology. Participation in the program involves developing a joint application: one head from a NATO country and one from a partner country.
This year, the winners include the Department of Information Protection, 91Ƶ. The project is implemented in partnership with Northumbria University, Great Britain. The co-directors are Ivan Opirsky, Head of the Department, and Dr. Biju Issac, Director of the Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research. In January 2026, Newcastle will host a five-day intensive course for 35 participants from Ukraine, including three lecturers from the Department, who will be both participants and students of the course in the field of cyber security and ethical hacking.
— Collaboration with Northumbria University had been established prior to the submission of the SPS grant application. In November 2024, a delegation from Lviv Polytechnic visited Newcastle as part of a British Council grant, and met with the university’s leadership and Dr. Biju Issac from the Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research (ACE-CSR). We discussed further cooperation and visited laboratories laying the foundation for trust between the teams, says the Head of the Department.
For the Department of Information Protection, this is not just funding for a five-day course, but an infrastructural strengthening of the entire educational and research ecosystem. It allows training key specialists — teachers, postgraduates, students and partners from industry and the public sector, creating a bridge between academia and practice.
From the very beginning, the program is oriented towards NATO standards: how to assess risks, how to report and how to build protection. All this will become the basis for further training programs, joint courses and workshops. Another important result is a publication in the NATO Science Series, which will not only increase the academic status of the Department, but will also formalize all the developed approaches for the next generations of specialists.
In addition to its educational impact, the grant holds strategic significance for Ukraine. Course participants will be able to immediately apply the acquired skills in their organizations — from universities to IT companies and government agencies.
In the long term, this will facilitate the harmonisation of Ukrainian educational and practical standards with NATO practices, laying the groundwork for international integration and partnership. This process involves systematic training of trainers, updating curricula, unifying approaches to risk assessment and reporting, and developing the educational and technical infrastructure — from laboratories to SOC/CSIRT units. According to the project manager, it is not just about improving skills, but about a deep transformation of the educational environment and practices.