We are excited to share that MTU and Cyber Skills cybersecurity lecturers Dr. George O’Mahony and Dr. Hazel Murray recently joined an Irish delegation to Estonia. Estonia is a global leader in digital public services and cybersecurity, known for its secure, transparent, and advanced digital ecosystem.

During their visit, George and Hazel engaged with government, educational, and industry organizations to gain insights into the Estonian ecosystem, explore potential collaborations, and bring valuable knowledge back to Ireland. The discussions throughout the week were highly productive, resulting in lasting connections that are expected to lead to future collaborations positively impacting Ireland's cybersecurity landscape.

The team had enriching discussions with fellow delegation members such as Mark Lane, Lubna Luxmi Dhirani, John Sheppard, Veronica Rogers and Eoin Byrne. They visited key locations including CR14, TalTech University, and CybExer Technologies.

Key meetings and insights included:

• CybExer Technologies: Discussions on cyber ranges, with MTU hosting Ireland’s cyber range infrastructure, led by Dr. George O’Mahony.
• Technopol: Exploring Estonia's cybersecurity accelerator program, discussing innovations, and building a cybersecurity innovation ecosystem, beneficial for Cyber Innovate.
• ITL Estonian ICT Cluster: Provided valuable industry and educational insights through their cybersecurity working group.
• Estonian NCSC: Gained insights into securing Estonia's e-government services and CERT-EE, relevant for the team's SFI NCF challenges.
• CR14 Demonstration: One of the world's leading cyber ranges for cyber defence education and training, offering collaboration opportunities on cyber scenario development.
• Cybers: Visited this exemplary Estonian cybersecurity company, showcasing the potential of indigenous cybersecurity firms.

This experience provided the team with numerous insights on prioritizing cybersecurity within Ireland and MTU across society, education, and the broader economy. Estonia's approach to digital transformation and cybersecurity serves as an excellent model for Ireland.

Special thanks to Senator Gerard Craughwell, Catalina Gologan, Ambassador Kairi Künka, Ambassador James Sherry and Liisi Kirschenberg for organizing and hosting this trip.