Slovakia is launching a series of projects to strengthen cybersecurity and information security in public administration. Under the leadership of MIRRI, it focuses on four pillars: security measures, standardizing the environment, education, and awareness. Calls and national projects target offices, hospitals, universities, and municipalities.
Calls and investments: from municipalities to critical infrastructure
Calls for public administration, healthcare facilities, and public universities have already taken place and are being evaluated. 108 applications came from public administration, 18 from public universities, and 23 from healthcare facilities. For the central state administration bodies, the call remains open after the first round; the second round was announced on 29. 11., with four applicants registered so far and the allocation remaining sufficient.
MIRRI is also targeting local governments. The original support for municipalities up to 6,000 inhabitants is to be extended to larger municipalities, as the previous allocation was insufficient and demand is higher. Also planned are an early warning system and strengthening of incident management infrastructure, as well as support for 54 critical infrastructure sites in the newly announced call.
Standardization: central cybersecurity portal
A key tool is the new central cybersecurity portal. Public administration received an e‑mail call to register; after initial confusion, when some considered it phishing, the ministry confirmed it was official communication. The portal aggregates methodological materials, outputs from conferences and articles, and also links to the government CSIRT unit.
It includes a unified methodological framework with dozens of documents that help set up processes in line with applicable legislation. The materials are being gradually supplemented and are intended to guide organizations through maturity levels from basic steps to more advanced ones. The portal also contains technical specifications and vulnerability notices published through the government CSIRT.
Education and awareness: from the cyber arena to competence centers
Through the so‑called cyber arena, organizations can sign up for training and exercises held at the ministry and at the government CSIRT unit. MIRRI is preparing competence centers at universities up to the third level of study, so that curricula for lower levels of education are developed as well, in cooperation with the education ministry. The goal is to respond to the long‑term low level of knowledge in cybersecurity.
A national project is in preparation to increase the expertise of public administration employees, from basic courses to training for cybersecurity and information security managers, including final exams. Public outreach will rely on the ministry’s portal and media, as well as on thematic conferences. These pillars are to be part of the National Concept for the Informatization of Public Administration in the area of cybersecurity, which is being prepared.
