A Young Engineer Journey - AI Student from Lille on Internship Programme in Podgorica

22.06.2026

At 21, Tom Husson has already learned something that many professionals discover much later: education does not stop at the classroom door.

Tom is a fourth-year Artificial Intelligence student at ISEN Lille, one of France's leading engineering schools. As part of his degree, he is spending a full year outside the traditional academic environment — combining a six-month industry internship with an international experience designed to expose students to different cultures, challenges and ways of working.

Before arriving in Montenegro, Tom spent two months in South Africa, living with a local family and helping with daily chores in exchange for accommodation and meals. In May, his journey brought him to Podgorica.

This opportunity was enabled by the whole ecosystem of players. It was prompted by WB3C's programme director Gilles Schwoerer, and Tom indeed feels at home at WB3C where he spends a lot of time working. Further, Naučno-tehnološki park Crne Gore / Science Technology Park of Montenegro kindly agreed to sign an internship contract, but it is thanks to Ivan Boskovic, ITAS CEO, that Tom has been granted this valuable 3-month experience along with the ongoing mentorship that Ivan provides as a seasoned tech professional working with AI driven technologies.

The project aims to transform the way hotels interact with guests by automating bookings, handling enquiries, solving everyday issues and supporting hotel operations in real time. Information generated by the system is fed directly to hotel managers, enabling faster decision-making and improved customer service.

Beyond improving existing functionalities, Tom is also exploring one of the most important questions facing AI today: how to protect intelligent systems from malicious inputs and external manipulation. His research touches on the intersection of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity — a field that is becoming increasingly important as AI systems gain greater autonomy.

For ITAS, the collaboration brings fresh ideas, research capacity and a direct link to the latest developments coming from one of Europe's strongest engineering ecosystems.

For Tom, it is something equally valuable: the opportunity to apply theory in practice, work alongside experienced professionals and build the skills that employers increasingly seek.

This opportunity emerged through an unexpected connection. Tom's father, an officer in the French Gendarmerie, visited Podgorica in 2024 during a regional cybersecurity conference and met representatives of WB3C. A conversation that started there eventually helped connect his son with an internship opportunity a year later.

With the support of Science and Technology Park Montenegro, WB3C and ITAS, Tom has become part of an ecosystem that brings together education, innovation and industry.

His story also highlights something larger.

Lille, where Tom studies, is home to one of Europe's most dynamic cybersecurity communities and hosts the annual Forum InCyber Europe, one of the continent's leading cybersecurity gatherings. WB3C has participated in the forum twice, bringing public and private sector representatives from across the Western Balkans to connect with industry leaders, explore innovation and build partnerships.

These experiences continue to inspire our own ambitions for the region.

Because talent grows fastest when education, industry and international cooperation work together.

And sometimes, that journey starts with a student willing to leave home and embrace the unknown.

The ITAS Perspective: Why Investing in Young Talent Matters

The pace of technological development has created an ever-widening gap between what young professionals learn through formal education and what is expected of them when they enter their first jobs. This is especially visible in fields such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, where tools, methods and business needs evolve faster than traditional curricula can adapt. That is why companies have an important role to play — as a bridge between academic knowledge and state-of-the-art practice.

This year, ITAS piloted a small but meaningful concept: bringing together students from economics and electrical engineering with an international student from France. The idea was to create a multidisciplinary and multicultural working environment, closer to what young people will encounter tomorrow in real professional life — where engineers, business thinkers, researchers and international teams work side by side.

The result exceeded our expectations.

By opening real projects to students, sharing current technological challenges and exposing them to the way modern teams actually work, we help them build the confidence, adaptability and practical understanding that junior professionals increasingly need. At the same time, our company gains fresh perspectives, curiosity and research energy, while educational institutions receive valuable feedback from the real economy — helping them keep pace with technologies that change faster than traditional systems can adapt.

Tom’s journey from Lille to Podgorica is an example of how growth often happens outside familiar environments. International experience teaches young people independence, adaptability and openness. Practical work teaches them responsibility, teamwork and problem-solving.

In a world where knowledge becomes outdated quickly, schools, universities and companies are jointly challenged to shape curricula, adapt learning modules and expose students to real projects much earlier.

Because talent develops fastest when it is trusted, challenged and connected to the real world.

IT Advanced Services — ITAS is a Montenegrin technology company focused on software development, digital transformation and the practical application of artificial intelligence. Based in Podgorica, ITAS develops solutions for different sectors, including healthcare, tourism, hospitality, finance, e-commerce and public services.

A growing part of the company’s work is dedicated to AI research and applied innovation. ITAS is developing projects in digital pathology and medical image analysis, AI-supported hospitality solutions, data-driven fraud and risk detection, process automation and intelligent business systems. The company combines software engineering, domain knowledge and research-oriented development to create practical solutions with real market and social value.

Other news and events

Upcoming

Disinformation and Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference Capacity Building Workshops

Programme

📅 30 November – 1 December 2026
📍 Science and Technology Park, Podgorica, Montenegro
🏛️ Conference Hall Unicorn, 2nd floor

Context: Building on WB3C’s May 2026 regional conference, these workshops examine how governments, media and other stakeholders can anticipate, prevent and respond to malign information operations. Sessions combine strategic perspectives with practical approaches to threat detection, crisis coordination, reporting and AI-enabled information manipulation. The programme is provisional and still subject to change.
Audience: Government strategic communications officials, cybersecurity leadership, journalists, media regulators, fact-checkers and civil society organisations.
Working language: English (no simultaneous interpretation).
Chatham House Rule: The workshops will be held under the Chatham House Rule, providing a safe space for an open dialogue.

Funding: The event is organised under the EU-funded project “Improving the resilience of critical entities and the protection of public spaces and cyberspace against security threats in the Western Balkans” (2026–2028). This event is also supported by Poland, Norway, United Kingdom and France, through their diplomatic missions in Podgorica and Belgrade.

DAY 1 – Monday, 30 November 2026

☕ 08:30–09:00 | ARRIVAL
Registration and welcome coffee

🕘 09:00–09:30 | OPENING REMARKS
• WB3C
• Ministry for European Affairs of Montenegro
• EU

🎙️ 09:30–10:00 | MODERATED POLICY DIALOGUE
Montenegro at the Crossroads: Safeguarding Its Democracy and European Future in an Era of Hybrid Threats
• Biljana Papović — State Secretary, Ministry of European Affairs of Montenegro
• Todor Goranović — Defence and Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Montenegro

Moderator: Matthew Booth, UK

🕘 10:00–10:45 | EXPERT SESSION
The Agents of Chaos: The Shadow Campaign Against the West
• Maciej Bukowski — Casimir Pulaski Foundation, Poland

☕ 10:45–11:15 | COFFEE BREAK

🕚 11:15–12:00 | EXPERT SESSION
From Detection to Decision: How VIGINUM Feeds Government Crisis Management During Hybrid Campaigns
•VIGINUM — France’s service for vigilance and protection against foreign digital interference

🕐 12:00–13:00 | MODERATED DISCUSSION
The AI Disinformation Battlefield: New Weapons, New Threats, New Defences – and the Fight for Public Trust
• Dr. Raphaël-David Lasseri — Magic LEMP, France
• Henrik Vold — Norwegian Institute of Journalism, Norway
• Eirik Veum — Norwegian Police Security Service (PST), Norway
• Dr. Daniel Schroeder — SINTEF Digital, Norway
Moderator: Dr. Ingrid Vik, Director UTSYN, Centre for Security and Resilience, Norway

🍽️ 13:00–14:00 | LUNCH

🕑 14:00–14:30 | EXPERT SESSION
Geopolitical shifts and impact on the Western Balkans
• Jamie Tarabay — Crumpton Global, USA

🕑 14:30–15:15 | EXPERT SESSION
Coordination and decision making during an ongoing hybrid assault
• Matthew Booth — FCDO, United Kingdom

🕒 15:15–16:30 | EXPERT SESSION
Modern Information Warfare: The Global Strategy to Destabilise the Western Balkans
• David Colon — Sciences Po, France

🎤 16:30–17:00 | QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE

DAY 2 – Tuesday, 1 December 2026

🛠️ 08:00–09:30 | CLOSED WORKSHOP

• David Colon — France
• Matthew Booth — United Kingdom

🕙 10:00–12:00 | ROOM 1: WORKSHOP FOR GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS
From Detection to Institutional Response

• David Colon — Sciences Po, France
• VIGINUM — France
• Dr. Raphaël-David Lasseri — Magic LEMP, France

Context: Government institutions may detect suspicious activity without a clear process for assessing significance and mobilising a response.

Objective: Practise moving from initial indicators and analytical findings to an institutional assessment, escalation decision and coordinated response.

🕚 10:00–12:00 | ROOM 2: WORKSHOP FOR MEDIA AND CIVIL SOCIETY
Verification of an AI-Amplified Information Operations

• Henrik Vold — Norwegian Institute of Journalism, Norway
• Eirik Veum — Norwegian Police Security Service (PST), Norway
• Dr. Daniel Schroeder — SINTEF Digital, Norway

Context: Synthetic content, coordinated amplification and misleading claims complicate verification under time pressure.

Objective: Apply verification and source-assessment methods to a simulated information operation, distinguishing evidence, uncertainty and responsible reporting.

☕ 12:00–13:00 | LUNCH

🧩 13:00–14:30 | WORKSHOP FOR GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS
Crisis decisions under pressure
• Maciej Bukowski — Casimir Pulaski Foundation, Poland
Practical tabletop exercise.

🧩 13:00–14:30 | WORKSHOP FOR MEDIA AND CIVIL SOCIETY
Editorial judgement during a hybrid crises (TBC)
• Jamie Tarabay — Crumptom Global, USA
Practical tabletop exercise.

🍽️ 14:30–15:00 | COFFEE BREAK

🛠️ 15:00–16:30 | PLENARY WORKSHOP
Government-Media Crisis Coordination Simulation

• Matthew Booth — FCDO, UK

DAY 3 – Wednesday, 2 December 2026

🛠️ Time TBC | UNIVERSITY GUEST LECTURES

• Maciej Bukowski — Casimir Pulaski Foundation, Poland
• Jamie Tarabay — Crumpton Global LLC
University of Donja Gorica, Faculty of Humanities

NB. To register for the conference please use this LINK or contact vanja.madzgalj@wb3c.org. The number of seats is limited.

This event will be photographed. Please read our Privacy Policy on the Registration Form.

To download the programme and the speakers bios, go to the top of the page.

From Open Sources to Investigative Intelligence: Advanced OSINT

Open-source intelligence is increasingly central to modern cyber investigations. But finding information is only part of the challenge. Knowing how to investigate securely, connect findings and turn fragmented data into actionable intelligence is what makes the difference.

On 10–11 November, WB3C is hosting a two-day advanced OSINT training in Podgorica, bringing together specialists from cybercrime units and judicial investigative services across the Western Balkans.

Delivered by Nicolas De Rycke and Jean-Pier Bonnet JP BNT, the practical training introduces participants to elephantastici io, an advanced investigative platform, with a focus on:
✅ Operational security during online investigations
✅ Advanced search capabilities and intelligence gathering
✅ Exporting findings for investigative reports and case files
✅ Building logical investigation maps to connect evidence and trace research activities
The training also brings together professionals who have completed WB3C's recent Train-the-Trainers programme, providing an opportunity to deepen their technical expertise and explore tools that can support their investigative work.
The focus is on practical application: giving investigators the tools and techniques to work more effectively, securely and systematically in an increasingly complex digital environment.

Selection underway for the next generation of cybersecurity diploma programme

The Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C), in partnership with the Université de Technologie de Troyes (UTT), France, is preparing to welcome the next generation of participants to its one-year Cybersecurity Diploma Programme, starting in February 2027.
The selection process is already underway, reflecting strong regional interest in advanced cybersecurity education:
🧑‍🎓 23 candidates from across the Western Balkans applied.
🧑‍🎓 17 candidates successfully passed the first pre-selection examination.
🧑‍🎓 13 November marks the next stage, with candidates taking a second entrance examination.

The programme places hands-on training and practical experience at the heart of its curriculum with a view of equipping participants with the technical skills and operational competencies needed to address real-world cyber threats, making them job-ready for the most in-demand entry level jobs.

Through its partnership with UTT, WB3C is helping bridge the gap between academic knowledge and operational readiness, developing a new generation of skilled cybersecurity professionals capable of strengthening cyber resilience across the Western Balkans.