The TalTech Department of Software Science at the TalTech School of IT was proud to host the 4th consortium meeting of the EU-funded CHESS (Cyber-Security Excellence Hub) project on January 28–29. Gathering in the snowy capital of Estonia, project partners embarked on two days of intensive collaboration to drive the initiative forward in its final year.
The meeting brought together a diverse consortium of experts from academic institutions, private companies, government agencies, and NGOs across Estonia and South Moravia, Czechia. Their shared mission: to inject fresh momentum into six core CHESS challenge areas as the project approaches its culmination.
The agenda was strategically focused on reviewing past successes and planning decisive actions for 2026. The event commenced with an insightful invited talk from Prof. Rain Ottis of the TalTech Cybersecurity Research Group. Prof. Ottis provided a comprehensive overview of TalTech’s latest research directions and ongoing cybersecurity activities, setting the tone for innovation and academic excellence.
Following this, the consortium conducted a thorough review of the project’s key achievements accumulated over the past three years. The core of the meeting, however, was dedicated to parallel, in-depth challenge-area sessions. These sessions focused on planning specific research activities and CHESS events slated for 2026, ensuring strategic alignment and tangible outputs.
The six CHESS challenge areas guiding the discussions were:
- Internet of Secure Things
- Security Certification
- Verification of Trustworthy Software
- Security Preservation in Blockchain
- Post-Quantum Cryptography
- Human-Centric Aspects of Cybersecurity
The CHESS project aims to establish a long-term, sustainable cybersecurity excellence hub that enhances deep collaboration between the Estonian and South Moravian ecosystems to enhance regional expertise, innovation, and competitiveness.
