The National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN), as the implementing body for Investment 1.5 "Cybersecurity" – Mission 1, Component 1, of the NRRP (National Recovery and Resilience Plan), under the responsibility of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers ─ Department for Digital Transformation, has launched the open call n. 8/2024, funded by the European Union – Next Generation EU, for the implementation of investments aimed at strengthening cyber resilience in the Public Administration.
The call aims to finance proposals for interventions to enhance the cyber resilience of large municipalities, regional capital municipalities, metropolitan cities, regional health agencies, companies and entities supporting the National Health Service, port network authorities, basin authorities of the hydrographic district, and regional environmental protection agencies.
The Port Network Authority of the Ionian Sea (PNAIS) has submitted the project “THE CYBER RESILIENCE ENHANCEMENT OF THE PORT OF TARANTO”, which has been approved for funding with determination record number 33707 of October 17 ,2024.
The project is part of the digital transition process initiated by the PNAIS, as well as the path of organizational streamlining and simplification. Both are aimed at adopting application tools that ensure compliance with national and European regulatory requirements while meeting the growing demand for port services in the Mediterranean area through the Taranto Smart Digital Port initiative. At the same time, the Authority has launched a series of technological interventions to enhance the cybersecurity level of the port ecosystem, pursuant to recent binding regulations, particularly those related to NIS1, NIS2, and GDPR.
The project directly aligns with one of the key drivers of development and economic growth identified in the Three-Year Operational Plan 2023-2025 (Business Intelligence and Digital Operations) and complies with the requirements set forth by the Digital Administration Code, the Three-Year Plan for IT in Public Administration, and the related AgID (Agenzia per l’Italia Digitale ─ Agency for Digital Italy) and ACN guidelines. Additionally, it ensures mandatory compliance with the GDPR and Cybersecurity regulations, aiming to maintain high levels of security, quality, usability, accessibility, and timeliness in the Authority's systems.
The project includes the implementation of the following key interventions approved for funding:
- Cyber Governance and Planning
- Cyber Risk Management and Business Continuity
- Security Incident Management and Response
- Digital Identity and Logical Access Management
- Application, Data, and Network Security
The total available funding allocated for the implementation of the specific interventions planned for the aforementioned beneficiaries amounts to €50,000,000.00, of which €772,506.20 has been assigned to the Port System Authority of the Ionian Sea for the project “THE CYBER RESILIENCE ENHANCEMENT OF THE PORT OF TARANTO”.
The project activities will be completed by December 31, 2025.