€1.53m on the table: RIF opens a NIS2 cybersecurity call for Cyprus SMEs

If you work in or sell to a Cyprus SME that has been designated an "important entity" under the NIS2 Directive, there is now money to fix your security posture.

The Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF), together with the Digital Security Authority acting as the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre (NCC-CY), has opened the call NCC-CY-NIS2/0826, "Enhancing Cybersecurity for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) designated as Important Entities Falling Within the Scope of the NIS2 Directive".

The numbers

• Total call budget: €1,530,000
• Per project: minimum €20,000, maximum €100,000
• Deadline: 10 November 2026, 13:00 - or earlier, if the budget runs out
• Submissions: through the IRIS portal

Who can apply

Host organisations must be small and medium-sized enterprises (categories B.1, B.2) designated as Important Entities within the scope of NIS2 (EU 2022/2555) by the Digital Security Authority. The goal of the programme is to bring those companies up to CyFun (CyberFundamentals) Basic level, 2025 edition.

Why it matters here

NIS2 compliance is turning into real, funded work on the island - which means demand for people who can do security assessments, hardening and documentation. If you have been building CTF or security skills through the Cyprus Cyber Security Challenge, this is the commercial side of that same wave.

A free information webinar is scheduled for Friday 18 September 2026, 12:00-13:00, with Zoom registration linked from the call page.

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