The University of Salamanca is Awarded the International Chair in Blockchain for Cybersecurity in Collaboration with INCIBE

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The University of Salamanca and the BISITE Research Group have signed a collaboration agreement with the Spanish National Institute of Cybersecurity (INCIBE) for the implementation of the International Chair in Blockchain for Cybersecurity "CyberChain". The main objective behind the initiative is to extend the training offer and promote the development of knowledge and skills in these areas for all actors in society as a whole, including professionals, companies of all kinds, public institutions, citizens, and social agents at national and international level.

The Chair was presented in Salamanca in the presence of Ricardo Rivero, Rector of the University of Salamanca; Félix Barrio, Director General of INCIBE, and Juan Manuel Corchado, Professor of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence and coordinator of the Chair. Only a dozen academic institutions have received a Chair in Cybersecurity and a Chair in AI. Among them is the University of Salamanca, which is also one of the two universities that have obtained the maximum budget for the two international chairs.

                 Juan Manuel Corchado's speech during the presentation of the Chair                  

"CyberChain" has a duration of three years and a budget of more than 1.5 million euros as a result of the co-financing agreement between the University of Salamanca and INCIBE. The activities of the chair throughout this period are designed to be inclusive and accessible, so that they are aimed at the widest possible audience in order to promote awareness and security at all levels. These activities include a master's degree taught by the University of Salamanca, as well as different courses, seminars, workshops, the creation of a living lab as a test bed, special sessions at conferences, entrepreneurship fairs, hackathons, and other training programmes, some of them in online format to facilitate participation. It is estimated that the different actions will reach more than 6,000 beneficiaries.

The International Chair in Blockchain for Cybersecurity is designed with the international aspect in mind, integrating from the outset eight foreign universities of great prestige and experience in the field of cybersecurity from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Australia, China, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, and Qatar. These international academic institutions will form an Ibero-Asian Collaboration Ring in Blockchain for Cybersecurity, and its members will actively participate in the proposed training activities. The promotion of a global permissioned network and an international collaborative approach are two distinct features of this chair.

               Map of partner universities at international level

The creation of the chair is developed in line with the National Cybersecurity Strategy approved by the National Security Council, which defines its objective IV as "culture and commitment to cybersecurity and to the empowerment of human and technological capabilities". In this way, the experience, and resources of the University of Salamanca as an educational institution and of INCIBE as a benchmark for the development of cybersecurity and digital trust among citizens and companies, are valued and taken advantage of.

Ricardo Rivero's speech during the presentation of the Chair             

Thus, Salamanca will continue its technological expansion, as a leader in the development of blockchain and cybersecurity and will promote projects of great relevance for Castilla y León that will facilitate the recruitment of researchers and the retention of the talent coming from the University of Salamanca. The first activities will begin over the next few weeks with registration open to anyone interested in training in these areas.

Cybersecurity Chair Programme in Spain

INCIBE, within the Global Security Innovation Programme, has the particular mission of raising cybersecurity capabilities and resources in the academic, business, and technological ecosystems, aimed at boosting the cybersecurity capabilities of society and the economy in general. The aim of this initiative is to have a programme that seeks to promote and generate knowledge and its transfer to the productive sector, especially by establishing synergies between the social and economic spheres of cybersecurity. To this end, the public invitation for cybersecurity chairs in Spain was launched on 1 December 2022. More information at: https://www.incibe.es/ed2026/ciberinnova/catedras.