In early 2026, the EU will begin rolling out a second round of financial aid to help all EU member states bolster their cybersecurity protections. This announcement was made by the Cybersecurity Skills and Services Development in Europe (CySSDE), which is developing the ongoing Cybersecurity Development Program. The money that will be distributed will focus primarily on two of the most widely used forms of cybersecurity protection currently being implemented, namely, penetration testing and vulnerability assessments.
Penetration testing and vulnerability assessments: Why is this important?
These two methods will be the focus of the EU’s third open call for funding. As stated by CySSDE, the open call will be released in mid-January 2026 and will specifically seek projects that implement proactive security measures (including penetration testing and vulnerability scanning). Penetration testing and vulnerability scanning allow companies to discover vulnerabilities prior to when a malicious actor finds and exploits those same vulnerabilities; both are critical to mitigating cyber risk in today’s increasingly digital economy.
Cybersecurity testing is a critical area of focus for the EU
The EU seeks to mitigate systemic vulnerabilities in high-risk industries like finance, health care, nd energy.
A key aspect of the next funding round is that it will offer funding to small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), research institutions, and cybersecurity services providers.
The EU will encourage applicants to submit innovative ideas that can combine technical sophistication with scale and efficiency in deploying penetration testing and vulnerability assessments. Projects will be evaluated on their technical merits, potential impact, and whether they comply with EU standards for cybersecurity.
How successful applicants will benefit from the project
Successful applicants will receive grant money to cover project development costs, project implementation costs, and training costs; the ultimate goal is to build a highly-skilled workforce able to address the growing number of emerging cyber threats.
CySSDE’s initiative to fund penetration testing and vulnerability assessment projects continues the momentum generated from previous rounds of funding. Last year, the EU provided funding to 10 penetration testing projects within its cybersecurity program. Those projects implemented cutting-edge methodologies, including automated testing tools and AI-based vulnerability detection. Together, these advancements have helped to increase the security posture of participating companies and organizations.
How success will be measured
The success of these previous projects has clearly demonstrated the value of targeted funding in speeding up innovation and the use of best practices. To further advance this trend, the EU has increased the scope of its funding for the next round of funding in order to create a more resilient digital environment that is better equipped to withstand complex cyber threats.
The intricacies behind penetration testing and vulnerability assessments
Penetration testing involves simulating how a malicious attacker could attack a company or organization in order to determine if there are exploitable weaknesses in a system, network, application, or combination thereof. A vulnerability assessment identifies specific security gaps within an organization. Together, these two practices provide the foundation of aproactivee approach to cybersecurity, thereby decreasing the likelihood of successful breaches and reducing potential damages associated with those breaches.
With digital transformation continuing to accelerate, organizations around the world are facing increasing pressure to protect sensitive information and ensure continuous operation. The EU’s funding initiative emphasizes the importance of incorporating these two best practices into every organization’s standard security protocols.
By providing funding for penetration testing and vulnerability assessments, the EU is responding to current and immediate cybersecurity challenges while building the foundation for longer-term cyber-resilience. Organizations interested in applying for funding should review the official guidelines on the CySSDE website and develop proposals that clearly demonstrate technical superiority and practical feasibility. With cyber threats developing and evolving at an unprecedented rate, proactive measures supported by strategic funding will be critical to protecting Europe’s digital future.
