A platform for the research community
The GARR Security Days 2025 provided a unique opportunity for the research and academic community to engage in direct discussions on pressing issues in cybersecurity and digital identity management. The event was part of the European Cybersecurity Month, promoted every October by the European Commission and ENISA to raise awareness among citizens, businesses, and institutions about digital security.
GARR, the Italian National Research and Education Network, connects universities, research centres, and cultural institutions across Italy, and the Security Days are designed to strengthen its community’s knowledge and cooperation in cybersecurity.
Participation and representation
The event brought together 107 participants from 54 different institutions, including universities, scientific research centres, and the biomedical community, with 32 speakers and moderators from 14 organisations. This diversity enabled a rich exchange of experiences and perspectives, fostering cross-institutional collaboration.
Key themes
Over the two days, participants explored a wide range of topics, including regulatory updates such as the NIS2 Directive and its implications for universities and research institutions, operational strategies for enhancing network and supply chain security, the management and evolution of federated identities, and the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning in cybersecurity. Other sessions focused on incident response, threat analysis, vulnerability assessment, awareness and training, and the use of GARR services such as multi-factor authentication and DNSSEC. Both plenary and parallel sessions offered technical and strategic insights in a highly collaborative environment.
Participant perspectives
Interviews with attendees highlighted the sense of engagement and shared purpose during the event. For Simon Pietro Romano (University of Naples Federico II), the Security Days represented a unique opportunity for knowledge sharing and collective growth, underlining the importance of creating spaces to exchange experiences and expertise, and to avoid facing cybersecurity challenges in isolation.
Nicolò Thei (University of Pavia) emphasised the event as a platform for expert dialogue, presenting practical cases of artificial intelligence and machine learning in cybersecurity and participating in discussions on incident management within the GARR‑CERT.
For Davide Vaghetti (GARR), the Security Days offered a chance to strengthen connections among cybersecurity professionals and to lay the groundwork for a formal security community, focusing on digital identities, authentication, authorisation, and incident response frameworks.
Looking ahead together
The GARR Security Days were not only a technical event but also an occasion to reinforce ties across the research community, encourage the adoption of interoperable and sustainable solutions, and build a shared culture of digital security. In a rapidly evolving landscape and during the European Cybersecurity Month, such initiatives help strengthen resilience and collective collaboration within the research and education network.
