It’s a Wrap! Wittenborg Hosts Good Start Project’s Final Events

14.10.2024

Activities Featured Insightful Keynote Session on Cybersecurity and Digital Hygiene

Wittenborg hosted two engaging and inspiring Erasmus+ events from 3 to 4 October: the Multiplier Event for the Good Start project and its final partners' meeting.

Launched in November 2022, the Good Start project aims to support start-ups in acquiring and developing key competencies, such as critical thinking and collaboration in technological fields, to address the skills gap in digital hygiene practices in our fast-changing world. For nearly two years, the initiative provided training modules on digital skills and digital hygiene readiness to start-up companies in partner countries.

In addition to Wittenborg, the project also includes the organisations Mugla Sıtkı Kocman University (Turkey), Fundacja Eduvibes (Poland), Mathemagenesis Idiotiki Kefalaiouchiki Etaireia (Greece) and eLearning & Software (Romania).

One of the highlights of the Multiplier Event, held on 3 October at the Spoorstraat Campus, was the keynote session ‘Digital Hygiene: Securing Startups and Businesses against Cyberthreats’.

Delivered by Raymond Rothengatter, founder and owner of RayFlexCom, the activity was aimed at students, lecturers, business owners and business managers. Rothengatter explained the concept of digital hygiene and its importance, discussing measures such as the implementation of strong password policies, two-factor authentication, regular software updates and backing up important data.

Additionally, he emphasised that organisations must educate their teams on how to defend against phishing scams and social engineering, and utilise security tools such as firewalls and antivirus programmes.

The guest lecturer mentioned that he enjoyed discussing these topics, noting that the audience was interested and engaged in the session, participating actively in its interactive activities. “One of the participants asked how the eduroam Wi-Fi connection can be secure while being used by universities worldwide. I explained how it works, noting that some aspects are the responsibility of the universities, while others are managed by the central eduroam systems.”

The activities concluded on October 4 with a meeting at the Brinklaan Campus, bringing together the project’s partners to conduct the initiative’s final discussions and procedures.

Wittenborg Erasmus + Project Administrator and Researcher Jian Liu said that the two events marked the culmination of this collaborative effort and the success the participating organisations have achieved with this project.

“Maintaining good digital hygiene is paramount for start-ups to ensure business continuity and success in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape. Our project, co-financed by the Erasmus+ programme, addressed this issue and provided many relevant insights,” he remarked.

Wittenborg CEO Maggie Feng highlighted that Apeldoorn aims to become a city renowned for its expertise in digital technology and cybersecurity. “These are important elements not only for the Netherlands but also for the rest of Europe and beyond. I am immensely proud of our Research Centre and our team, who have done such a wonderful job in this Erasmus + project with all other European partners. We know there is more to be done and we are looking forward to more collaborations.”