Fundación Valenciaport will strengthen port cybersecurity with the European ATHENA project

ATHENA will offer software and hardware providers a flexible and scalable cybersecurity solution that will ensure compliance with new EU security requirements and regulations
The initiative, which will ensure active protection against complex cyber threats, has a budget of over €5 million co-financed by the Horizon Europe project

Valencia, 8 October 2025.- Between yesterday and today, the Port of Valencia hosted the kick-off meeting for the European ATHENA security project.

The initiative, in which Fundación Valenciaport is participating, will offer software and hardware suppliers a flexible and scalable cybersecurity solution that will enable them to test, validate and ensure compliance with the new EU security requirements, ensuring that products are ready for certification in accordance with the European Cybersecurity Act.

In addition, ATHENA will include a tool that will ensure the reliability of new products from the early stages of their development, guaranteeing their compliance not only with the essential requirements set out in harmonised EU legislation — including, for example, the CRA, the NIS2 Directive and the Data Act — but also with the specific security needs of different stakeholders.

The project envisages the integration of innovative services based on Artificial Intelligence and an advanced set of automatic tools for the detection and assessment of vulnerabilities. These solutions will enable continuous assessment of the level of security and active protection against complex cyber threats.

In this context, the Valenciaport Foundation will validate the solutions in a port environment and verify regulatory compliance in key port control and surveillance systems. The initiative, led by CiberTRS, a Valencian cybersecurity and cyberintelligence company, has a budget of more than €5 million, co-financed by the Horizon Europe project of the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA).

ATHENA Consortium
In addition to CiberTRS and the Valenciaport Foundation, 10 other European entities are participating in ATHENA: Institute of Communication and Computer Systems, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, CyberSocial Lab, ETRA, ITTI, Centre for Research & Technology HELLAS, FAVIT, Industrial Research Institute for Automation and Measurements, South Engineering and Catone Logistica.