CyProd strengthens small and medium-sized manufacturing companies’ ability to work strategically with cybersecurity awareness. By developing key performance indicators and a governance model, the project creates conditions for systematic follow-up, learning, and long-term improvement of internal cybersecurity practices.

Facts

University of Applied Sciences: School of Engineering

Industrial partners: Junglemap, Dizparc, Detab Ecomat Automation, Inlead

Project duration: 2026–2030

 

Research team:

Erik Bergström, Associate Professor

Annika Engström, Professor

Sonny Johansson, Lecturer

Joakim Kävrestad, Associate Professor

Ulf Seigerroth, Professor

To be recruited, PhD student

Financier: The KK Foundation External link, opens in new window.

The project aims to develop a framework with key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate and govern cybersecurity awareness measures (CSA) in small and medium-sized manufacturing companies. It focuses on how CSA can be understood, measured, and integrated into organizations’ everyday practices through an organizational learning perspective.

Establish sustainable cybersecurity structures

The project examines which indicators and practices are relevant for assessing CSA and how companies can govern CSA as a continuous learning process. The goal is to strengthen companies’ ability to make informed decisions, reduce vulnerabilities stemming from human behavior, and establish sustainable cybersecurity structures.

Growing societal challenge

The project addresses a growing societal challenge, namely the increasing vulnerability of small and medium-sized manufacturing companies driven by human factors in cybersecurity. By developing knowledge on how cybersecurity awareness can be measured, governed, and integrated into organizational learning, the project contributes to strengthened resilience in a sector that is central to the Swedish economy and, in many cases, part of critical infrastructure. The results provide research-based tools for governance and follow-up, which can be disseminated to companies, IT providers, and policymakers, thereby raising the overall level of cybersecurity.

Increased ability and reduced vulnerability

The project will deliver a KPI-based framework for evaluating and governing cybersecurity awareness in small- and medium-sized manufacturing companies. The results will be useful for executive management, IT and security managers, and cybersecurity service providers who need systematic approaches to assess and improve human-related security aspects. SMEs will benefit from an increased ability to make well-informed decisions and reduce vulnerabilities. Service providers will gain a research-based foundation for developing their offerings, and academia will gain new knowledge on governance and organizational learning in cybersecurity.

For more information:

Erik Bergström