Application Period Extended for Local Cybersecurity Centers Grants

people sitting down near table with assorted laptop computers — Marvin Meyer / Unsplash

The application deadline for grants to establish Local Cybersecurity Centers for local governments has been extended to October 30, 2026. The total pool of funds available for distribution is nearly 270 million zł.

Local governments can jointly apply for funding to create these centers. The model intends for one center to serve at least two or more municipalities, potentially exceeding 20, to prevent the duplication of cybersecurity resources and costs. This approach is designed to improve digital protection, particularly for smaller municipalities with fewer resources.

Experts from Dagma Bezpieczeństwo IT have identified several challenges. Organizational issues include the division of responsibility among project partners and the maintenance of the centers after grant support ends. Local governments must ensure project durability for at least five years after the grant is exhausted, which may extend to around 2035. This creates uncertainty regarding future costs and the availability of specialists in a decade.

Additional difficulties involve building partnerships, as neighboring governments may have different IT infrastructures, competencies, or needs. There are also concerns regarding trust, as the project leader will have access to the networks of the participating local government units. However, the program does not require participating municipalities or counties to be geographically close, allowing partners from different parts of the country to collaborate.

Uncertainty also exists regarding eligible expenses. It remains unclear if funding covers only Security Operations Center services or extends to endpoint protection, backups, infrastructure management, helpdesks, and joint hardware or software purchases. Generally, grants can be used for network monitoring, audits, consulting, hardware, software, licenses, cybersecurity services, and training.

Cybersecurity specialists have raised concerns about the centralization of services. While the idea of a shared Security Operations Center is widely accepted, questions remain about the scope of competencies, responsibilities, service level agreement parameters, and cooperation with Computer Security Incident Response Teams. These factors may result in fewer local governments submitting applications than expected.