SMEs often lack the capacity to counteract cyberattacks and are relatively often victims. The Cybersecurity in the SME sector research group is committed to applying practical means to help SMEs in the Netherlands become more digitally aware and safe in order to reduce the damage caused by cybercrime. This new research group, headed by Rutger Leukfeldt, PhD, has three lines of research: (1) looking at the resilience of SMEs, (2) gaining insight into cybercrime and (3) dealing with cybercrime aimed at SMEs.

Small and medium-sized enterprises have an urgent need for useful knowledge. This is also confirmed by MKB-Nederland (a branch organisation for the SME sector) and the VNO-NCW (the branch organisation for employers). This need has mobilised the NSCR and The Hague University of Applied Sciences to establish a joint programme of applied research into cybersecurity. Rutger Leukfeldt, PhD, serves as a binding factor between the two organisations. He is a lector at The Hague University of Applied Sciences and has been appointed the researcher and coordinator of the cybercrime cluster at the NSCR.

To help fund the research group, an L.INT subsidy request was submitted to the National Taskforce for Applied Research SIA (NRPO SIA), an agency of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NOW) that stimulates and finances applied research at universities of applied sciences. The NRPO SIA’s L.INT subsidies are specifically aimed at stimulating positions for heads of research groups whose research groups focus on a long-term partnership between the NOW institutes and universities of applied sciences as based on a joint research programme. This application was granted. Also contributing to the funding of this research group are the Municipality of The Hague, the Municipality of Zoetermeer and the Ministry of Security and Justice.