Call for applications for grant to support educational programmes in the field of certification and evaluation in accordance with the requirements of ...

This summary outlines a grant opportunity aimed at supporting educational programs aligned with the EUCC cybersecurity certification scheme. The call for applications is connected to the TestCert-SK project, which operates under the Digital Europe Programme and seeks to strengthen testing and certification capabilities in Slovakia.

Eligible applicants are certified educational institutions in Slovakia, as defined by Section 10 of Act No. 292/2024 on adult education, and they must be registered with the relevant authority. Each institution may submit only one application. The funding consists of a one-off grant of €50,000 for each eligible applicant, from a total budget of €150,000, which allows for up to three projects to be funded. The application submission period opens on November 25, 2025, and closes on January 31, 2026.

The project duration extends until June 30, 2026. To receive funding, applicants must demonstrate the creation of educational programs that prepare participants for the EUCC certification and successfully implement at least one free training course for a minimum of five employees from small and medium-sized enterprises. The educational programs must cover essential topics such as Common Criteria, security targets, protection profiles, vulnerability assessment, and EU certification processes.

Applications are submitted electronically via Slovakia's Central Public Administration Portal, requiring a qualified electronic signature. The selection will be competitive, based on the project evaluation criteria defined in the call documents. Fund allocations are determined by the ranking of applications that satisfy grant conditions. No co-funding requirements are specified.

Overall, this grant aims to enhance Slovakia's cybersecurity education landscape by equipping qualified institutions to create impactful educational offerings that promote cybersecurity certification skills among professionals, particularly within SMEs.

This is a call for applications for a grant to support educational programs in the field of certification and evaluation, specifically in accordance with the requirements of the EUCC cybersecurity certification scheme. This initiative falls under the framework of financial support to third parties and is part of the TestCert-SK project, which is funded by the Digital Europe Programme.

The opening date for submissions is November 25, 2025, and the deadline for submission is January 31, 2026, at 01:00 Brussels time. The expected duration of participation is until June 29, 2026. The total funding available is 150,000 EUR. The project acronym is TestCert-SK, and the full name of the EU-funded project is Testing and Certification Capabilities in Slovakia. The grant agreement number is 101127837. The relevant topic is DIGITAL-ECCC-2022-CYBER-03-TEST-CERT-CAPABILTIES - Testing and Certification Capabilities.

Eligible applicants are certified educational institutions, as defined in Section 10 of Act No. 292/2024 Coll. on adult education, and must be registered in the register of certified educational institutions. Applicants may submit only one application for a grant; if multiple applications are submitted, the NSA will consider the last submitted application.

The grant will be provided as part of financial support to third parties, based on the terms of the "GRANT AGREEMENT Project 101127837 — TestCert-SK" between the European Union (represented by the European Commission) and the NSA. The grant will be implemented as a one-off payment at the end of the project. Payment is conditional upon submitting documents proving the creation of an educational program and documents proving the implementation of at least one free educational activity or training course for at least five participants who are SME employees. The grant amount is a one-off payment of EUR 50,000 per eligible applicant, based on the submitted application and the conditions outlined in the call and related documents.

Eligible projects must aim to create educational programs that prepare individuals with the skills necessary for performing certification and assessment according to EUCC, or for successfully completing certification and assessment according to EUCC.

The training provided by these programs must explain in detail the requirements of the EUCC certification scheme, as outlined in Commission Implementing Regulation 2024/482, and their relationship to the requirements of the international CC scheme and international standards. The training must cover, at a minimum, the following topics:

General model Common Criteria (version CC:2022 and CEM:2022): What Common Criteria (CC) are.
CC constructs for defining security policies: Security Target and Protection Profile.
CC catalogues for security functional and assurance requirements: Working with them and their use.
CC evaluation methodology (CEM): How to understand and use it.
TOE (Target of Evaluation) security architecture and TOE design specification: How to analyze them.
Vulnerability assessment aspects: General approach.
CC certification process within the EU horizontal certification scheme.

To submit an application, the completed application form must be signed by the statutory body with a qualified electronic signature, a qualified electronic signature bearing a mandate certificate, or a qualified electronic seal. The signed application must then be sent to the Authority in electronic form as an annex to the electronic submission via the Authority’s electronic mailbox on the Central Public Administration Portal www.slovensko.sk, using the ‘General Agenda’ service. Applications not received in this manner will be disqualified. The specific method of delivery is detailed in Annex 2 to the call, titled ‘Conditions for granting a grant.’

Each grant application will be assessed using the Criteria for the selection of projects, which are detailed in Annex 4 to the call. The Authority will create a descending ranking of applicants whose applications meet the conditions for granting a grant, based on the points obtained from the project selection criteria. The purpose of this ranking is to determine the order in which the Authority sends notifications of compliance with the conditions for granting a grant and draft grant agreements to applicants. Draft grant agreements will only be sent to applicants for whom the grant is fully covered by the available call funds, based on their ranking. Applicants for whom the grant is not fully covered will not receive a draft grant agreement due to lack of funds.

In summary, this call aims to bolster cybersecurity certification capabilities in Slovakia by providing grants to certified educational institutions. These institutions will develop and implement educational programs focused on the EUCC cybersecurity certification scheme. The programs should equip individuals, particularly SME employees, with the necessary skills for certification and assessment in cybersecurity. The funding is provided as a one-off payment upon successful completion of the project and demonstration of the creation and implementation of the educational program. The application process requires a qualified electronic signature and submission through the designated online portal. The selection process is competitive, based on predefined criteria, and only the highest-ranked projects within the available budget will be funded.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicants are certified educational institutions (within the meaning of Section 10 of Act No. 292/2024 Coll. on adult education) registered in the register of certified educational institutions.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, provided as part of financial support to third parties.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity appears to be for a single applicant, as it states "Applicants may submit only one application for GRANT."

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The beneficiary scope appears to be limited to entities within Slovakia, as the call is managed by the National Cyber Security Centre SK (NSA) and refers to Slovakian legislation.

Target Sector: The target sector is cybersecurity, specifically focusing on educational programs related to certification and assessment according to the EUCC (European Cybersecurity Certification Scheme).

Mentioned Countries: Slovakia, European Union.

Project Stage: The project stage involves creating and implementing educational programs, suggesting a development and implementation phase.

Funding Amount: The funding amount is a one-off payment of EUR 50,000 per project. The total funding available for the call is EUR 150,000.

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant.

Application Stages: The application process appears to be single-stage, where applications are submitted and then evaluated.

Success Rates: The success rate cannot be determined from the provided text. However, given the total funding available (EUR 150,000) and the grant amount per project (EUR 50,000), it can be inferred that a maximum of three projects will be funded.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding is not explicitly mentioned as a requirement.

Summary:

This opportunity is a call for applications for grants to support educational programs in the field of cybersecurity certification and assessment, specifically aligned with the EUCC requirements. The call is managed by the National Cyber Security Centre SK (NSA) and is funded by the Digital Europe Programme under the TestCert-SK project. The goal is to enhance testing and certification capabilities in Slovakia. Eligible applicants are certified educational institutions registered in the register of certified educational institutions in Slovakia. The grant amount is EUR 50,000 per project, and the total funding available is EUR 150,000, implying that a maximum of three projects will be funded. The application deadline is January 31, 2026. The selected educational institutions are expected to create educational programs and implement at least one free training course for at least five SME employees. The application must be signed by the statutory body with a qualified electronic signature and submitted electronically via the Central Public Administration Portal of Slovakia. The training should cover the requirements of the EUCC certification scheme, Commission Implementing Regulation 2024/482, and their relationship to the international CC scheme and international standards, including aspects of Common Criteria, security policies, evaluation methodology, security architecture, vulnerability assessment, and the CC certification process.