In order to establish the profession as a viable career path and bolster India’s domestic cyber resilience, the government has announced a historic Cyber Security Innovation Challenge (CSIC) 1.0 for students and academics to work on real-world cyber challenges.

The program, which was started as part of MeitY’s Information Security Education and Awareness (ISEA) project, aims to develop qualified experts, promote cyber security as a viable career path, and stimulate domestic, product-focused solutions.

The necessity of a two-pronged national cyber security strategy—increasing awareness of new threats while bolstering technological capabilities—was emphasized by IT Secretary S. Krishnan. He emphasized that these imperatives are addressed by CSIC 1.0.

In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s idea of a “whole-of-government” strategy, Krishnan stated that cyber security necessitates a “whole-of-nation” approach.

Recognizing the cooperative presence of MeitY, CERT-In, NSCS, AICTE, C-DAC, DSCI, and academic and industry leaders, he emphasized the significance of fostering successful concepts past the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) stage and establishing avenues for them to develop into scalable solutions through partnerships with startups and business partners.

The CEO of the Data Security Council of India, Vinayak Godse, gave an interesting overview of the comprehensive problem statements and five-stage structure of CSIC 1.0, which were created after months of rigorous discussion between DSCI, C-DAC, and the ISEA team.

He emphasized that this unique program allows researchers and students to create and cultivate entrepreneurial mindsets from the outset.

According to Professor V Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, the ISEA Project’s innovation challenge demonstrates our improved comprehension of fundamental problems and puts us in a position to provide revolutionary solutions.

The ten domain-specific problem statements emphasize areas that need for new and creative thinking and are in line with the country’s cyber security demands.

The Director General of CERT-In, Dr. Sanjay Bahl, emphasized the vital role ISEA plays in promoting innovation that changes the paradigm from reactive defense to proactive security.

He pointed out that the Innovation Challenge establishes a crucial platform that unites R&D, academia, and industry, with academic institutions’ innovations intended to be commercialized as deployable products.