Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1545385
6 COMMERCIAL maltatoday | SUNDAY • 14 JUNE 2026 Study highlights opportunities to strengthen Malta's uptake of EU cybersecurity funding MITA-NCC commissioned a study after identifying a gap be- tween the EU funding available for cybersecurity and digitalisa- tion and Malta's actual level of participation. Although these funds offer important opportu- nities for investment and collabo- ration, Malta has yet to fully cap- italise on the support these offer. . As a Member State contributing to the Union's shared priorities, Malta is well positioned to make strategic use of these funding op- portunities available to advance its national objective. The study was therefore undertaken to ex- amine the barriers limiting par- ticipation and to identify ways of improving access, as well as up- take of these programmes. The study also draws an impor- tant distinction between direct and indirect EU funding mecha- nisms. Direct funding is admin- istered by the European Com- mission and awarded through competitive calls across the EU. Typically, they are designed to support large-scale projects with cross-border impact, with a sub- stantial budget allocation, more complex applications and part- nerships with organisations from other Member States. Indirect funding, on the other hand, is managed nationally by national authorities and is generally seen as more accessible to local organ- isations, especially small and me- dium-sized enterprises. These schemes are more closely aligned with national priorities and less complex easier to navigate for Maltese applicants.. The study, conducted by PwC Malta, examined how EU fund- ing instruments are structured, how accessible they are and the extent to which they are being. It analysed major EU programmes such as Horizon Europe, the Dig- ital Europe Programme and the Connecting Europe Facility, as well as nationally managed in- struments including the Europe- an Regional Development Fund and the Recovery and Resilience Facility. The findings indicate that Malta performs better in some indirect schemes, particu- larly those supporting digital transformation for small and me- dium-sized enterprises, however participation in direct cyberse- curity funding programmes re- mains limited. The study was conducted be- tween December 2025 and March 2026 and included con- sultations with a broad range of stakeholders purposely selected to reflect the full EU funding li- fecycle, both direct and indirect. In total, eight institutional stake- holders were consulted, includ- ing funding authorities, national contact points for direct EU pro- grammes, regulatory and coordi- nation bodies, and advisory and support organisations involved in application and implementation support. Additionally, sixteen interviews were carried out with applicants and end-beneficiaries from the private and public sec- tors, including large organisa- tions engaged in direct EU fund- ing, SMEs that are key targets for national programmes, and public entities reflecting governance and institutional priorities. According to the study, the bar- riers associated to direct funding are especially challenging small Member States such as Malta, where organisations may lack the scale, networks and special- ist resources needed to compete successfully in highly competitive EU programmes. Limited aware- ness of funding calls, co-financ- ing requirements and the time and expertise needed to prepare strong proposals were all identi- fied as factors constraining par- ticipation. The study also found that, al- though organisations in both the public and private sectors recognise the importance of cy- bersecurity, investment is often driven more by compliance and immediate risk rather than long- term strategic planning and inno- vation. It concludes that Malta's limited uptake of EU cybersecu- rity funding does not stem from a shortage of opportunities, but to a mix of structural, capacity and behavioural factors. To address these shortcomings, the study calls for a more coordi- nated approach across funding instruments, stronger support for prospective applicants and greater recognition of cyberse- curity as a strategic investment area within Malta's wider digital ecosystem. It also produced a set of recommendations which MI- TA-NCC will now discuss with the relevant national authorities in order to identify practical fol- low-up measures and determine the most effective way forward in response to the study's findings. In the meantime, MITA-NCC has already organised a CYBER Breakfast to the National Cyber- security Community on 7th May 2026, as one of the first initiatives aimed at addressing the challeng- es identified. . During the event, PwC Malta presented the study's findings, followed by a panel dis- cussion in which representatives from GO and MDIA shared their organisations' experiences with EU funding applications. Xjenza Malta and Tech.mt also provid- ed support as national contact points for Horizon Europe and the Digital Europe Programme respectively. Attendees then took part in a guided breakout ses- sion aimed at demystifying the complexity of EU funding, led by members of the National Consul- tation Council. Those seeking further infor- mation on cybersecurity-related EU funding opportunities can consult the MITA-NCC website at https://ncc-mita.gov.mt/ funding-calls/, which provides updates on open calls. Guid- ance and practical tips on pre- paring stronger applications are also available at https:// ncc-mita.gov.mt/how-to-sub- mit-a-strong-proposal/, while information on national-lev- el schemes can be found at https://ncc-mita.gov.mt/nation- al-schemes/#national-schemes. Further updates on available funding opportunities are also published on the fondi.eu web- site. Melvin Charles Farrugia Bonnet