Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Strategic Cultures of Cyber Warfare

Project description

Why some countries develop offensive cyber capabilities

Secure network and information systems can protect us from cyberattacks. However, the growing use of and dependence on information and communication technologies poses both risks and opportunities for cyber defences. Amidst an emerging digital arms race, the EU is increasingly cooperating in cyber defence to be able to respond to and deter offensive cyber actors. In this context, the EU-funded CYBERCULT project will study the development and use of offensive cyber capabilities (OCC) by western powers, namely France, Israel and the United States. It will also review the cultural, socio-political, historical and ideational factors involved. Focusing on these countries as well as Estonia, Germany, Japan, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, it will explore the perceptions of OCC.

Objective

CYBERCULT is a project that examines why and how western states are developing Offensive Cyber Capabilities (OCC): human, technical and virtual tools to disrupt, destroy and exploit computer systems. CYBERCULT has three core objectives. First, it will establish a Strategic Culture-based theoretical concept that explains the development and use of OCC by western powers. This concept will move beyond rationalist and materialist explanations of OCC processes and consider the influence of Strategic Culture on OCC adoption, including the socio-political, historical, and perceptual/ideational factors involved. This will be achieved through a theory-building phase involving an Interdisciplinary Workshop on OCC, a literature review on Strategic Culture and new technologies, and sustained interaction with leading Strategic Culture academics. Second, CYBERCULT will produce a data set on perceptions of OCC in eight countries that are connected to the western alliance system: the US, Israel, France, Germany, the UK, Estonia, Japan and New Zealand. The data set will be based on an analysis of surveys sent out to cyber policymakers and practitioners in the eight countries. Third, CYBERCULT will produce an in-depth comparative analysis of OCC adoption in three of the world's leading cyber powers: the US, Israel, and France. This will be based on primary and secondary sources and twenty interviews with scholars, government officials, and cyber industry representatives in each of the three countries. CYBERCULT will have sustained links to policymaking and industry and will help to inform fast-moving cyber security processes in the EU and NATO, including the EU Cyber Security Strategy and NATO Cyber Defence Policy. CYBERCULT will be hosted by Recherche et Etudes en Politique Internationale (REPI), Université Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium). The key deliverables are a journal article, a book, three policy briefs, and two working papers.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2018

See all projects funded under this call

Coordinator

UNIVERSITE LIBRE DE BRUXELLES
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 166 320,00
Address
AVENUE FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT 50
1050 Bruxelles / Brussel
Belgium

See on map

Region
Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/ Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 166 320,00
My booklet 0 0