As threats in the digital world increase, companies and organisations have begun to take cyber security more and more seriously. Swedish companies often rely on foreign software and experts for their cyber security, but are requesting more cyber security expertise in Sweden.
Together, Swedish academic institutions and companies have therefore taken the step to create the business research school SIGS-CyberSec, which is coordinated by Karlstad University and now has its first doctoral student.
– There is a lack of Swedish cyber security experts but now we have a common ambition to change this. We also have our first doctoral student in SIGS-CyberSec, Emil Larsson, who has a principal and an assistant supervisor from the Swedish Defence University as well as an assistant supervisor from Karlstad University, says Simone Fischer-Hübner, leader of SIGS-CyberSec.
After graduating in 1999, Emil Larsson has, among other things, been IT director for Svenska Dagbladet and now works as IT security manager for the company Assemblin. Emil is researching the civilian impact of cyber warfare and is looking forward to further research under SIGS Cybersec.
– I want to find vulnerabilities because there are cyber wars going on where many countries are attacking others, which makes the borderland between cyber war and cyber peace important. I hope that my research will lead to increased collaboration and a better understanding of the field. It also means that I can continue to work part-time, which is positive, says Emil Larsson.
Close collaboration with the Swedish Defence University
Emil Larsson’s principal supervisor, Hans Liwång, is a docent in Military Technology at the Swedish Defence University. He explains that cyber security is an area with many different stakeholders and needs.
– Here at the Swedish Defence University, we focus on defence, crisis management and security. Questions related to digitalisation and the strengths and weaknesses that society’s digitalisation leads to, have an important role to play. Therefore, I hope that the cooperation within SIGS-CyberSec gives us the opportunity to both share our perspective and learn from others. In this way, we can both strengthen Swedish cyber security expertise in general and also strengthen the connection to defence, crisis management and security, he says.
Johan Sigholm, assistant supervisor of Emil Larsson, is an affiliated researcher in the subject of Defense Systems at the Swedish Defence University, but otherwise serves as a professional officer and as head of business-related IT systems, where cyber security issues are of great importance.
– Our hope with the business research school is to be able to create and convey knowledge in the field of cyber security, as well as answer questions that are both academically significant and of high relevance to business and industry. For the participating companies, we hope that their involvement in SIGS-CyberSec will give them both a skills upgrade and increased competitiveness.
The business research school consists of researchers in computer science and information systems from four Swedish universities: Karlstad University, Blekinge University of Technology, the Swedish Defence University and Örebro University together with eight Swedish companies. The initiative is partly funded by the KK Foundation, and the plan is for a total of 8 people to become part of the 5-year programme that will be launched in the autumn of 2023.
