Events

The first cohort of 7 final-year and master’s students in ICT have just begun the preparatory course of our University Diploma in Cybersecurity, delivered by the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) in partnership with the Université de Technologie de Troyes (UTT), France, under the leadership of professor Reza Elgalai.

This two-week preparation helps students strengthen their foundations so they can follow the full program confidently and succeed in final exams. The second preparatory course will take place in December with another 13 students, after which UTT will select the top 10 candidates to continue with the full diploma course in February 2026.

The program itself is unique in the region. It’s an off-campus study with UTT professors, leading to a 60-ECTS diploma in cybersecurity. With UTT’s recognition of prior learning (120 ECTS from earlier studies), students can earn a parallel EU-recognized professional Bachelor’s degree - a true bridge into the European cyber workforce.

It’s also highly practical. Students learn by doing through lectures, labs, case studies and Capture-the-Flag exercises - building skills that will allow them to step directly into roles such as:
🔹 Security Administrator
🔹 SOC Analyst
🔹 Junior Penetration Tester
🔹 Digital Forensics Technician
🔹 Cybersecurity Auditor

At the same time, WB3C is in discussions with the University of Montenegro exploring how we call collaborate on our cybersecurity initiatives and provide a sustainable academic pathway for the next generation of cyber professionals. The momentum is here. These two programs mark a turning point for Montenegro’s cybersecurity education landscape - building a talent pipeline for the region’s most in-demand cyber roles.

Talent is not an issue - we need more opportunity, visibility and structured support.

Seeing a room full of 70 ambitious young women - many already studying or working in ICT - taking on cybersecurity challenges with confidence and creativity is a reminder of the immense potential that exists right here in the Western Balkans.
Their presentations following the hands-on exercises made one thing clear: talent is not the issue - visibility and opportunity are.

Across the region, women remain one of the most under-utilized resources for innovation, growth and a balanced digital economy.
While global figures show women make up only around 22–24% of the cybersecurity workforce, the gap grows wider at the top - far fewer women reach leadership or C-level roles. Many still face a glass ceiling, subtle bias or the weight of imposter syndrome in male-dominated environments. Supporting young women in developing confidence, assertiveness, and leadership skills is therefore as essential as technical training itself.

Cybersecurity, at its core, is about resilience and adaptability. To build that resilience, our teams must reflect the diversity of the societies they defend. Investing in women in cyber is not a matter of fairness alone - it’s a matter of strategic foresight for the region’s stability and competitiveness.

As these young women step forward, they challenge old assumptions, redefine expertise and show that the future of cybersecurity in the Western Balkans can be both strong and inclusive.

We deeply appreciate our partnership with DCAF and FCDO for enabling WB3C to be part of such an important initiative. 
 

We are proud to announce that our colleague, Vanja Radović, is representing the WB3C in the prestigious CybHER programme, run by the British Council. This initiative is dedicated to empowering, educating and motivating women to become the next generation of cybersecurity leaders.
For Vanja, this is a pivotal opportunity in her early formative professional years to accelerate her professional growth. The programme's curriculum is designed to equip participants with both the vision and the tools to succeed in the tech industry. Throughout the course, the group of ambitious young women will:
💡 Develop authentic leadership skills by understanding their personal values, styles and emotional intelligence.
💡Explore diverse cybersecurity career paths and identify specific opportunities for their own professional growth.
💡Gain proven strategies to overcome gender stereotypes and navigate workplace barriers with confidence.
💡Strengthen networking and collaboration skills to build a powerful support system that fosters resilience and collective growth.
💡Create a personal action plan to immediately apply these leadership insights in their daily work.

We are especially excited that Vanja will be learning from established regional leaders like Larisa Halilovic ♀️, an international leadership expert, and Andreja Mihailovic, PhD, President of Women4Cyber Montenegro. Their guidance will take the programme beyond pure technical knowledge to focus on the essential skills for leadership in a male-dominated field.
At Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C), we believe that empowering women with core competencies like social intelligence, resilience and strategic networking is just as critical as technical expertise. We are committed to supporting our team members as they grow into the leadership roles our industry needs, and Vanja's participation in CybHER is a perfect example of this commitment in action.
 

Another demanding but successful three-day Cybersecurity Awareness Program is in the books!

From 3-6 November, we rolled up our sleeves with civil servants from across the Western Balkans, equipping them with practical tools to lead cybersecurity awareness and build national frameworks within their own administrations, particularly in relation to NIS2 implementation.

This collaborative workshop with URSIV - Urad Vlade Republike Slovenije za informacijsko varnost focused on the skills of:
🔒 Building & evaluating internal cybersecurity awareness programs from the ground up.
🤝 Establishing a national Coordinated Vulnerability Disclosure (CVD) ecosystem.
📜 Translating the NIS2 Directive into actionable national policy.

The session wrapped up with a certificate ceremony. We were pleased to have the awards presented by Gilles Schwoerer, Head of WB3C, Igor Kovač from URSIV and Alina U. from our Romanian training team.

Massive thanks to the fantastic team of experts from the Romanian National Cyber Security Directorate - Alina U., Diana-Alexandra Morea, Mihai Marica, Cristian Driga and Daniel Iliescu - for sharing their hands-on experience and guiding the participants through these complex topics.

Big thanks to our dedicated civil servants for their continued engagement in learning and improving cyber capabilities of our administrations.

This week, the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Center (WB3C) is buzzing with energy and ambition! In a powerful collaboration with our partners DCAF - Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance, FIRST, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the British Council, WB3C is hosting a two-day regional workshop dedicated to 70 inspiring young women in ICT entering the cybersecurity workforce from across the Western Balkans. The journey began with inspiring opening remarks that set the tone for the days ahead given by:

• Her Majesty's Ambassador Dawn McKen of the British Embassy Montenegro
• Béatrice Godefroy, Deputy Director DCAF, who address the participants online from Geneva,
• Gilles Schwoerer, Head of WB3C
• Nina Lukic, Senior Programme Manager at the British Council

The event's host is Franziska Klopfer, DCAF Programme Director for Western Balkans and the mastermind behind the event.

These 70 ambitious young women are members of the British Council's #CybHER project network, and for the next two days, they are diving deep into the world of cybersecurity. Why does this matter?

Because the digital frontier needs their talent, perspective and skill. Cybersecurity isn't just about code and firewalls, it's about building a safer, more resilient world for everyone. And to do that effectively, we need diverse teams that reflect the society they protect.

Over these two days, the agenda is packed with action and inspiration:

✨ A motivating keynote from Mona Elisabeth Østvang of FIRST.

✨ Hands-on "Capture the Flag" challenges to test their technical skills.

✨ Inspirational presentations and testimonials from female cyber experts, showing them the incredible career paths that lie ahead.

✨ A panel on the "Meaningful Participation of Women in the Cybersecurity Workforce," turning discussion into action.

This is more than a workshop - it's a catalyst. It's about building a regional network of support, sparking curiosity and empowering the next generation of cyber defenders. These young women are not just the future; they are the urgently needed present of cybersecurity. Western Balkans needs these women leaders across technical and non-technical fields of cybersecurity.

We are continuing our good cooperation with URSIV - Republic of Slovenia Government Information Security Office and today, we launch a three-day Cybersecurity Awareness Program. This intensive training (3-6 November 2025) is intended for government officials, policy makers, cybersecurity officers in public institutions and critical infrastructure and IT and security managers across Western Balkans.

The program will provide practical knowledge on:
🔒 Building & evaluating internal cybersecurity awareness programs.
🤝 Establishing a national Coordinated Vulnerability Disclosure (CVD) ecosystem.
📜 Understanding the key aspects of the NIS2 Directive transposition.

The participants were welcomed by Gilles Schwoerer, Head of WB3C and Igor Kovač, representing the Republic of Slovenia Government Information Security Office (URSIV).

A special thank you to our expert trainers from the Romanian National Cyber Security Directorate: Alina U., Diana-Alexandra Morea, Mihai Marica, Cristian Driga and Daniel I. for sharing their invaluable expertise.

The Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) had the privilege of hosting a productive meeting with key European partners to discuss enhancing synergy in our collective efforts.

We were honored to be joined by:
• Ivan Leković, Cyber Ambassador at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro
• Ms. Manon Le Blanc, Coordinator for Cyber Issues and Deputy Head of the Hybrid Threats and Cyber Division at the European External Action Service (EEAS)
• Mr. Hein Dries, Cyber Security Expert from the Council of Europe (CoE) / CILC
• Ms. Emily von Rheenen, Senior Project Manager at CILC, NL

The meeting was hosted by Gilles Schwoerer, Head of WB3C, and Vanja Madzgalj, Senior Project Manager, focusing on exchanging information on various cybersecurity initiatives across the region. The shared goal is to explore optimal models for cooperation and coordination, ensuring we maximize our collective impact in strengthening cyber resilience.

A sincere thank you to all participants for their valuable insights and commitment to a more secure and collaborative digital future for the Western Balkans.

IT SPOT 2025 opened yesterday, 30 October, and continues today in Podgorica. Montenegro’s leading tech summit gathered global voices in innovation, AI and cybersecurity at the Montenegrin Music Centre. 

Our Program Director and Head of WB3C, Gilles Schwoerer, joined a panel moderated by Branko Džakula of UN1QUELY to examine capacity building in the Western Balkans. Two questions framed the discussion: 

• how to grow talent sustainably over the long term and
• how to reduce brain drain. 

Gilles outlined WB3C’s institutional capacity-building across cybersecurity, cybercrime and cyber diplomacy as short-term gap fillers. However, for durable results, he emphasized the need to co-develop curricula with universities and the private sector and enable a continuous talent growth. To illustrate this, he described WB3C's two diploma programs that we deliver jointly with universities: one on digital forensics, and a new course on cybersecurity launching next month. The approach WB3C is taking is to find ways of embedding these modules in university programs to enhance academic offer for long term development.

On brain drain, Gilles stressed that maintaining strong links with your cyber alumni at home and abroad is key for creating a reserve pool of experts and described France’s cyber reserve model as a template for national surge capacity and civic commitment. He explained that the reserve model fosters a sense of patriotism and obligation to help your country in need.

Andreja Mihailović, President of Women for Cyber Montenegro and Manager of the Cybersecurity Innovation Hub at the University of Montenegro reinforced the idea that cybersecurity is mission-driven work and not just a career path. She said that cybersecurity does not only protect our technology and our infrastructure but it protects people: it protects hospitals from ransomware, schools from cyberbullying, and our elections from manipulation. Skills matter, and so do values. Purpose, recognition and a sense of service are things that keep talent engaged. 

Another important point made at the panel is that we should speak about brain circulation rather than brain drain, as it is important for young people to be able to gain international experience so they can come back to share this knowledge at home. 

Thank you to ICT Cortex for an excellent event and for enabling us to reconnect with partners and friends, hear insightfl presentations and meet new people that are interested in joining forces with us for a stronger Western Balkans. 

On 22 October, we hosted a visit of the participants of the Regional Strategic Leadership Course (RSLC) at our premises. This annual meeting is held in Montenegro this year and implemented by the Ministry of Defence of Montenegro jointly with the Federal Ministry of Defence of Austria, bringing together 35 senior civilian and military leaders from Austria, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro.

To showcase WB3C’s mission and work, we organised a presentation and a tour of our facilities. Our Senior Project Manager, Vanja Madzgalj MBE, delivered the briefing and guided the delegation. We closed with a focused Q&A on regional cyber capacity priorities and the future functioning of the WB3C as an international organization, where our guests expressed their positive impressions about the idea behind the Centre and the scope of work already being done in a short period of time.