Established in 2021, the National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN) is the Italian authority that protects national interests in the field of cybersecurity. ACN is responsible for protecting security and resilience in cyberspace: the agency works to prevent and mitigate as many digital attacks as possible and to promote the country's technological autonomy. One of the Agency's main tasks is to implement the National Cybersecurity Strategy, which sets out the objectives to be achieved by 2026.
In its early years of activity, ACN established a network of operators in Italy to design and implement joint programs to support and accelerate innovation and applied research. Among these operators was selected in 2023 the Innovative Companies Incubator of Politecnico di Torino (I3P), with which ACN signed a collaboration agreement aimed at supporting and developing young companies active in the cybersecurity sector with a specific incubation program.
The incubation path for cybersecurity start-ups
The Cybersecurity Incubation Program, promoted by ACN and launched by I3P in 2024 in collaboration with partners Leonardo S.p.A. and C*Sparks, is entirely dedicated to facilitating the valorisation of research results in the field of digital security and their transfer to the market as entrepreneurial projects with international perspectives.
In 2025, the first four young companies selected to join the initiative were announced. The program offers a 12-month incubation process tailored to start-ups operating in the sector, with business development activities including customer discovery, business planning, team growth support, intellectual property protection strategies, investor search support, and the possibility of receiving a non-repayable financial contribution of €50,000 from the National Cybersecurity Agency.
Leonardo Group, through its Cyber & Security Solutions division, provides technical training, mentoring, and the opportunity to evaluate the implementation of Proof-of-Concepts (PoCs) with its experts, while C*Sparks offers support in the strategic and operational orientation of projects to increase their fundraising opportunities. ACN will also be able to offer periodic training and awareness initiatives, consulting sessions focused on business plan validation, and networking activities, with the aim of supporting companies' access to qualified networks for the expansion of their business projects.
The initiative is aimed at companies that have been established for less than 5 years, are registered in the Italian Business Register, are based in Italy and have one or more projects in the field of cybersecurity in line with the priorities identified by ACN's Research & Innovation Agenda, particularly those using technologies such as data science, artificial intelligence, robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, quantum computing or cryptography.
How to apply for joining the program
Applications to join the pool of start-ups supported by the Cybersecurity Incubation Program are always open, but the next cut-off date for submitting a project - after which all those received up to that point will be evaluated for selection in the following months - will be January 7, 2026.
To begin preparing an application for the program, it is necessary to contact the dedicated e-mail address cybersecurity@i3p.it. The call's documents are available for download on the dedicated page of I3P's website for preliminary consultation by interested parties: the fillable versions of the application forms will be provided via email after the initial contact.
