NIS2 – Cybersecurity in the Research & Development Services Industry – Beginner
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Research and development organizations run on data and specialized systems: laboratory information management systems (LIMS) that track samples and results, electronic lab notebooks (ELNs) that record experiments, high-performance computing (HPC) clusters for modelling and simulation, networked scientific instruments and collaboration portals shared with partners around the world. Unpublished results, proprietary formulas, patent filings and clinical trial records are valuable to criminals, competitors and nation-state actors, and years of experimental work often cannot simply be redone, so attackers expect research organizations to pay ransoms quickly. A single click on a fake manuscript-acceptance email can hand over a researcher's credentials, spread malware to the ELN and LIMS and leave unpublished data in the hands of attackers.
This entry-level course builds cybersecurity awareness for everyone who works in research and development, from researchers, lab technicians, post-docs and visiting scientists to administrative staff and research leaders. No technical background is needed. Using realistic research scenarios, it shows how attacks start, how everyday habits in the lab and in the office stop them, and why GDPR, GxP rules, NIS2 and export controls such as EAR and ITAR make cybersecurity part of every employee's job.
The course is developed by the CISO Edu team – the cybersecurity training platform of Advanced Vision IT. The company has 15 years of industry experience and is certified to ISO 27001, ISO 9001, and ISO 20000-1 standards. It is also an AWS Cloud Certified Partner and holds multiple certifications and partnerships with leading cybersecurity solution providers, including Sophos, Acronis, and other established technology companies. The content is developed by specialists who work daily with NIS2 compliance requirements, industrial control systems (ICS), and critical infrastructure environments.
What Participants Will Learn
- ✓Explain what cybersecurity protects in a research organization and why valuable intellectual property, irreplaceable long-term data and open collaboration make R&D a target.
- ✓Recognize phishing, smishing and vishing aimed at R&D staff, such as fake journal and grant notifications, account-lock text messages and calls from a fake instrument vendor or regulatory inspector, and report them correctly.
- ✓Identify how malware reaches lab workstations, HPC clusters and connected instruments through email, fake websites, USB devices and fake updates, and follow safe practices for downloads and unauthorized software.
- ✓Use strong passwords, passphrases, password managers and multi-factor authentication, and avoid common mistakes in research environments such as shared lab accounts and approving MFA prompts you did not start.
- ✓Protect computers and mobile devices in offices, labs and public spaces, follow badge, escort and clean desk rules, and work safely on public Wi-Fi and from home.
- ✓Explain how a cyber incident turns into financial, legal and reputational damage for a research organization, its funders and its partners.
- ✓Describe, at awareness level, executive accountability and the main obligations under GDPR, GxP, NIS2, export controls and grant agreements.
Ideal for
Course Modules
Next Step: From Awareness to Action
The Advanced course in this series moves from awareness to handling incidents, managing vendor and supply-chain risk, business continuity, protecting intellectual property and trade secrets, and securing laboratory and research infrastructure.
Next Level