Tallinn University of Technology

Centre for Maritime Cybersecurity

The Maritime Cybersecurity Centre was established as part of the EU funded Horizon 2020 project called MariCybERA.

The project aimed to create an ERA Chair (European Research Area) in Maritime Cybersecurity at Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) by integrating the research capabilities of TalTech's Estonian Maritime Academy and TalTech's Centre for Digital Forensics and Cyber Security. This integration was intended to address the cybersecurity challenges arising from the digital transformation of the maritime industry.

The Centre has the objective of becoming an internationally recognized academic research centre that supports a secure, reliable, and sustainable maritime sector. It takes advantage of Estonia's thriving ecosystem of cybersecurity and maritime stakeholders, including the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, Estonian maritime associations, research institutions and private companies. 

The research focus of the Centre is on developing innovative solutions to address the emerging security challenges in the maritime industry. This includes studying the threat landscape, identifying vulnerabilities in maritime systems, and developing cybersecurity measures to mitigate the risks posed by cyber-attacks. A key aspect of the research is to understand the unique challenges posed by the maritime environment, including e.g., limited connectivity and the need for real-time information exchange. Focusing on these specific areas, the Centre can ensure that its research has practical applications and can help to improve the cybersecurity of the maritime sector. 


Funded by the Horizon 2020 EraChair program, the MariCybERA project supports bringing outstanding academics and high-level professionals in TalTech to develop maritime security expertise in the field. 

Read more on MariCybERA website

VIDEO ABOUT MariCybERA ERA CHAIR

Centre for Maritime Cybersecurity Research Group

Sanja Bauk

Head: Research Professor Sanja Bauk

Research Professor Sanja Bauk has been appointed at the Estonian Maritime Academy as Chair of the MariCybERA project from the 1st August 2023. Her areas of expertise are Electronic Navigation and Information Systems, Operations Research, and Research Methodology.

She has published thirteen books. Three of these books are in the maritime field (published in English) and these are available as hard copies at the Estonian Maritime Academy Library:

  1. Bauk S., "Electronic Chart Display and Information System in Brief", Durban University of Technology, South Africa, 2021.
  2. Bauk S., Dimov S.I. (Eds.), "Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Maritime Education and Development ICMED", Springer, Boston, USA, 2021.
  3. Bauk S., "Maritime Issues in Digital Age", ELIT, Podgorica, Montenegro, 2018. 

Ongoing projects

CyberSecPro aims to bridge the gap between degrees, working life, and marketable cybersecurity skillset necessary in the EU’s digitalization efforts and provide examples of best practices for cybersecurity training programmes. A practical and hands-on cybersecurity training programme to complement, support, and advance the existing academic programmes will be compiled.

ATHENA aims to improve cybersecurity protection readiness of the water sector, thereby targeting the integrated system of closely intertwined SME and public employees by enriching ENISA-s portfolio with up-to-date cybersecurity competence trainings in the water sector and enable staff along the entire chain of execution to respond to incidents that fit into the general operational and management strategies of the water sector.

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