Important conversations about cybersecurity at the Silesian University of Technology
For the second time at the Silesian University of Technology, a CyberŚląskie (CyberSilesian) conference was held. The event organized by the City of Gliwice, Silesian University of Technology and Silesian Metropolitan Network sp. z o. o. took place on the 12th of March 2026, and served to exchange experiences between experts, representatives of central administration and local government units in the field of cybersecurity.
Progressive digitization, the use of artificial intelligence capabilities and new cybersecurity regulations in public administration units became the main points of debate during the second CyberŚląskie conference. The event gathered several hundred representatives of local government units, cybersecurity experts, scientists, and all interested in these issues from all over Poland.
Dr Eng. Jarosław Homa, deputy director of the Centre for Cybersecurity at the Silesian University of Technology, one of the organizers of the event did not hide the surprise that during the second edition the number of conference participants doubled.
- This shows a great interest in this subject. We have 350 participants from all over Poland. This is especially true because it is a very important conference. Nowadays, we need to talk about cybersecurity and exchange experiences in the field of cybersecurity implementation. We have regulations that impose specific obligations on us both in local governments and in the area of science and this poses challenges that representatives of these units will face. Today’s conference gives them the knowledge how to do it – said Jarosław Homa.
The conference was organized by the Silesian University of Technology in cooperation with the City of Gliwice and the Silesian Metropolitan Network Sp. Z o.o Local governments were the main stakeholders of the conference, because representatives of these units and other strategic institutions will soon face the challenge of adapting their systems to the requirements of Directive NIS2 and the Act, which enters into force on the 3rd of April 2026.
Local governments are already cooperating with scientists in this area, among others with the Silesian University of Technology. This was mentioned by the Vice President of the City of Gliwice Agnieszka Dylewska.
- Today’s event is not only an industry conference, but also a space for responsible discussion about the safety of residents in the digital dimension, which is increasingly reflected in physical security. Cybersecurity is an important element of city management – said Dylewska.
- We are aware of the threats, which is why we have prepared, adopted, and implemented the “Cybersecurity Strategy for the City of Gliwice for the years 2026-2030”. It includes, among others, the protection of infrastructure, but also the improvement of competences of local government employees, residents and building lasting partnerships that will serve digital security. Silesian Metropolitan Network Sp. Z o.o and experts of the Silesian University of Technology helped in the preparation of the document.
The Rector of the Silesian University of Technology, Prof. Dr Hab. Eng. Marek Pawełczyk pointed out that the role of the University is extremely important here.
- This is a great example of how we can share our experience. I think that our solutions are a proof of cooperation in creating these solutions, in which representatives of units from all over Poland are interested and whom we see here at today’s conference – said the Rector. – We worked with representatives of the City Hall and the Silesian Metropolitan Network on the entire document, later we presented it, and the parties presented and defended their arguments. It is worth noting that our Silesian environment is actually the leading one that lobbied for appropriate provisions. Ultimately, they were included in the regulations and laws regulating cybersecurity in the country – added the Rector.
During the conference, the participants discussed the cooperation platforms of local government units for the exchange of knowledge and increasing cyber resilience. An example of a nationwide initiative focused on these challenges is ISAC-JST. At the regional level - ISAC.silesia.edu (Centre for Information Exchange and Analysis. The Centre focuses on joint activities in the area of ICT security for universities, which is the first sectoral cooperation structure aimed at strengthening the cybersecurity resilience of higher education. The consortium was established by agreement of eight universities from the region, including the Silesian University of Technology.
The debates and lectures on the implementation of cybersecurity solutions in strategic and administrative units were attended by experts who talked about the practical aspects of such implementations and the problems that may arise from it. One of the key issues was the introduction of artificial intelligence solutions into cybersecurity systems.
Dr Hab. Eng. Paweł Kasprowski, Prof. SUT, an expert in the field of artificial intelligence at the Silesian University of Technology pointed out that local governments should use AI solutions very carefully.
- We will use artificial intelligence and there is no going back. On the other hand, you need to think about the safety of its use, i.e. what data we send to language models, which we do not know where they are located and what happens with this data. Trust in what these models produce for us must be limited, because we know they can be wrong. But in the end, it’s us humans who are responsible for what artificial intelligence will come up with, how it will process our data. -
When using AI, local governments should also use the services of experts or scientists who will develop appropriate solutions ensuring the security of data processing.
Since the interest in the second edition of the conference turned out to be considerable, it is already known that the event will permanently enter the calendar of meetings at the Silesian University of Technology.
- I hope that we will be the hub where competences from all over the country come together and we can meet here. Representatives of the Ministry of Digital Affairs also come to us; therefore, the discussion is very substantive, which translates into specific administrative decisions – noted the Rector.
fot. Maciej Mutwil
