Dissemination activities for the NITRO 5G Cyber Range were conducted during the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) – Helexpo, which took place from September 7 to September 15, 2024. This prestigious annual international exhibition, established in 1926, is held in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, and typically opens with remarks from the Prime Minister of Greece. The International Exhibition & Congress Centre of TIF HELEXPO is situated in YMCA Square, in the heart of the city.
This year, with Germany as the honored country, TIF attracted over 220,000 visitors, marking the highest attendance since 2019. The event featured more than 1,300 exhibitors across 32,000 square meters of exhibition space. Germany was represented by 135 businesses and organizations, alongside 25 international participants. The exhibition in total included nine thematic showcases and a strong presence from Greek industry, with an overall number of 350 companies.
During the exhibition, the NITRO project garnered significant attention from a diverse audience, including industrial partners, students, researchers, and the general public. Live demonstrations from the Ionian University highlighted notable advancements in research and innovation. The NITRO project was presented in the research and innovation hub that consisted of research exhibitions from universities around Greece. This collaborative effort effectively showcased the project’s results regarding cyber ranges, 5G and the domain of emerging technologies.
The high engagement level surrounding the NITRO demonstrations was conducted with enthusiastic discussions and interactions at the booth of Ionian University. Over 1000 meetings were conducted throughout the event, focusing on technological solutions such as cybersecurity, emerging Technologies and artificial intelligence. The exhibition overall involved other topics including circular economy practices, renewable energy sources, food Industry and sustainable building materials. The dissemination activities at TIF provided an invaluable event for fostering collaboration among academic institutions in Greece and stakeholders in technical discussions about the NITRO and its impact on the future of technology.
Technical details on the architecture of the NITRO Cyber Range were shared, discussing its ability to simulate complex cyber-attack scenarios in a controlled environment using virtualization technologies and discussing the benefits and challenges of the approach. Presentations also discussed the implementation of low-latency communication protocols and network slicing, showcasing how 5G technology can significantly enhance real-time data processing during cybersecurity training exercises. Attendees engaged in discussions about integrating artificial intelligence for threat detection and response within the cyber range, exploring machine learning algorithms that adapt to evolving cyber threats. Additionally, feedback from over 40 industrial partners emphasized their needs for workforce training and simulation capabilities to better prepare for future cyber threats, underscoring the importance of aligning academic research with industry requirements to enhance cybersecurity resilience.
