IT College Hosts Cyber Capacity-Building Fellowship Delegation from the Global South

The Fellowship is an international initiative designed to empower cybersecurity experts from the Global South by strengthening their practical knowledge, policy skills, and global networking opportunities. The visit to TalTech provided participants with first-hand insights into Estonia’s innovative approaches to cybersecurity and digital education.

The delegation was welcomed by the IT Didactics Research Group, led by Prof. Janika Leoste and Dr. Slavko Rakić, who introduced the group’s activities and research directions. During the session, two key announcements were made:

• The launch of the AI Championship Program at TalTech, designed to advance applied research and capacity-building in the field of AI.
• The presentation of KOHTO25, a project led by Dr. Rakić, focused on hybrid intelligent assessment methods in higher education.

In addition, the program featured two guest presentations:

• “The Mind Is the New Battlefield: How Hackers Exploit Human Psychology” by Tiia Sõmer, cybersecurity researcher, trainer, teacher, and consultant at TalTech and Nortal.
• “The Role of the Estonian Association of Information Technology and Telecommunications (ITL) in Building Public-Private Partnerships” by Keilin Tommeparg, Head of Policy and Legal Affairs at ITL.

The event was made possible through the support of Mari Tomingas-Sibul and Meeli Semjonov from the e-Governance Academy, who invited IT College to host the delegation. The discussions provided an excellent platform to reflect on the new challenges and opportunities at the intersection of AI and cybersecurity, and to strengthen international cooperation in this critical domain.