Opening of a Call for Projects on Systemic Cyber Risks
A first focus on systemic cyber risks
The first 3-year funding cycle will focus on systemic cyber risks in an ever more complex world.
Digitalization has enabled tremendous progresses in economy and society of the past decades. Global connectivity through the internet and underlying network infrastructure has further accelerated this developed. With any advance in technology, risks have evolved as well – in case of digitization in the shape of cyber risks.
Cyber risk manifests itself in our everyday lives. Cyber-attacks, espionage, operational errors occur daily, causing loss to the economy at a significant level. Recently, there is also growing concern about “systemic cyber risk”—the possibility that a single incident could cause ripple effects with potentially catastrophic consequences. A systemic cyber fallout could threaten the digital infrastructure that societies, economies, and governments rely on. Consequently, it comes as no surprise, that cyber risks are identified as one of the top risks over the past years in the AXA 2022 Future Risk Report[1]as well as the Swiss Re Institute SONAR Report 2023[2].
However, research progress on this subject has been described as modest and the availability of data limited, leading to many questions remaining unanswered. This can largely be attributed to the novelty of the topic, and its constantly evolving threat profile. In order to reinforce cyber resilience, more understanding is needed. In light of this, the Swiss Re Institute and the AXA Research Fund have decided to collaboratively support academic research projects investigating how to increase cyber resilience for companies, governments and society looking at different resilience building approaches.
[For more information on the call – click here]
Target beneficiaries and projects
The Risk and Resilience Partnership aims to support top-tier research on systemic risks. Research project proposals should demonstrate their scientific originality and innovative nature and have the potential to contribute to a step change in the proposal's specified areas.
The proposals are expected to:
Be scientifically outstanding,
Create results applicable for risk identification and risk assessment by corporates, and,
Inform governments and/or private sector on how to build resilience against systemic risks across the specific proposal's themes.
Applications are accepted from academic institutions across the globe. Academic institutions are the only eligible direct beneficiaries which may receive funding through this Partnership. Private companies, NGOs, governmental bodies, foundations, independent research centers, cultural institutions (such as museums), and hospitals are not eligible as direct beneficiaries. However, due to the applied nature of the funding, it is possible for academic institutions to collaborate and partner with other organizations from public and private sectors.
About the Swiss Re Institute
Swiss Re Institute harnesses Swiss Re's risk knowledge to produce data driven research across the company and with partner organisations. We foster knowledge sharing and support decision making with our industry focused publications, client programmes and conferences.
[1] 15c65a87-4d11-49a4-b88e-be5953965b37_axa_futurerisksreport_2022_va.pdf (axa-contento-118412.eu)