Swiss National Cyberstrategy (NCS): A Quantitative Assessment of the Cybersecurity Research Landscape

Cybersecurity Monday, 18. September 2023 11:00

The National Strategy for the Protection of Switzerland against Cyber Risks (NCS) emphasises the essential role of cybersecurity research in promoting Switzerland's resilience to cyber threats and strengthening economic growth. Although cybersecurity research is of national importance, there is still insufficient understanding of the relevant research landscape. With the support of SATW, armasuisse's CYD Campus has therefore conducted a quantitative study that shows how much university time is spent on various cybersecurity research topics.

Martin Burkhart, Roland Meier, Bernhard Tellenbach

Cyber-Defence Campus, armasuisse Science and Technology

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22 Swiss universities took part in the study and their working hours were analysed in relation to 14 key research areas defined according to a taxonomy of the European Joint Research Centre. The results show 297 full-time equivalents (FTEs) in cybersecurity research nationwide, with a significant concentration within the top three topics, namely in the areas of software and hardware security, cryptology and networks and distributed systems. The three most researched topics together account for 174 FTEs, while the five least researched topics together account for just 7.2 FTEs.

This study provides Switzerland with a systematic, quantitative evaluation of its cybersecurity research landscape for the first time. It is intended to serve as a basis for policymakers, universities and industry to specifically address imbalances, potential gaps and the incentivisation of strategic areas within research.

To the CYD campus

_{This text was translated with DeepL}