On 9 July 2026, eurobits e.V. invited its members to this year’s Annual General Meeting at the FORSTHAUS in Bochum. In addition to the introduction of new members and the 2026 annual plan, the agenda focused primarily on reports on the association’s current activities. Attendees were given a status update on the NIS2 Contact Point NRW project, which is funded by the Ministry for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (MWIKE) until October 2027. The joint efforts of eurobits e.V., the CISO Alliance and DIGITAL.SICHER.NRW to establish a dedicated apprenticeship programme in the field of IT security were also discussed and explained.
We also looked back on the ‘ewa – eurobits women academy’ research project, which was completed in September 2025. Over the course of the three-year project, we successfully trained 18 women to make a career change into cyber security. Given the high quality of the training programme developed and the consistently positive feedback from the participants, the goal is clear: ewa is to be continued. We are currently seeking suitable partners to provide financial and non-monetary support for this. Our members are warmly invited to support the further development of ewa, for example by providing lecturers and mentors or premises that can be used for face-to-face workshops. Participation in the form of specialist presentations or facilitating a full-day workshop is also a possibility. We welcome any form of support and are happy to discuss this further in a no-obligation meeting.
In addition to the formal agenda items concerning the association’s finances, the social media campaign planned for late summer was also presented; this is intended to further increase the visibility of our members in future.
As part of the presentation of our partnerships with the European Cyber Security Organisation (ECSO), the Pôle d’Excellence Cyber and the North European Cybersecurity Cluster (NECC), Christian Vogt, Chair of the Board of ASW West (Alliance for Security in Business West e.V.), provided detailed insights into the regional association’s wide-ranging activities in the field of business protection and corporate resilience, as well as an analysis of current security challenges.
At the end of the meeting, there was a special round of applause for the colleagues at DIGITAL.SICHER.NRW for their outstanding work over the past six years. As part of a consortium together with the Cyber Security Cluster Bonn (CSCB), eurobits e.V. was awarded the contract for this not-for-profit project in 2020. On behalf of the NRW Ministry of Economic Affairs, DIGITAL.SICHER.NRW worked with chambers of commerce, trade associations, industry representatives and cyber security initiatives to develop a strategy to strengthen digital security among small and medium-sized enterprises. This successful work was recognised in 2023 with an early contract extension granted by NRW Minister for Economic Affairs Mona Neubaur. The extended project period ends on 31 December 2026. eurobits will participate in the forthcoming call for tenders alongside Cyber Security Cluster Bonn e.V. and the Alliance for Security in Business West e.V. (ASW West).
Following the official proceedings, Dr Günther Welsch, Head of the Cryptography and IT Management Department at the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), opened the eurobits summer party with his keynote speech ‘The IT security industry in Germany – potential for growth!’, thereby providing some exciting food for thought for the evening’s discussions. In glorious summer weather, the event initially moved outdoors, where the approximately 50 participants were welcomed with an aperitif and fresh tarte flambée. Finally, we rounded off the evening with a dinner together and stimulating conversations in a relaxed atmosphere.
We would like to extend our warmest thanks to all our guests for attending and for the fruitful exchange.
