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The Digital Trust Center (DTC) is part of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and has a mission to increase the resilience of non-vital companies in the Netherlands against growing cyber threats. A non-vital company is one that does not provide a product or service crucial to society's functioning. One of the activities carried out by the DTC to achieve this mission is the 'Strengthening Cyber Resilience' subsidy scheme. This scheme supports collaborations aimed at sharing information, knowledge, and best practices to enhance cyber resilience across a broad spectrum of businesses. Dialogic evaluated this subsidy scheme at the request of the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
To conduct the research, we utilised document analysis, data analysis, a survey, and interviews. We determined that the scheme is generally effective and efficient, although quantifying effectiveness was challenging due to a lack of monitoring and accountability requirements within the scheme. Based on the evaluation, Dialogic formulated four lessons for future subsidy schemes:
Lesson 1: The importance of monitoring and impact assessments. The current subsidy scheme's effectiveness is limited in terms of quantification due to the absence of monitoring, clear KPIs, and impact assessments. Therefore, there is a need for a clear monitoring framework for future schemes.
Lesson 2: Differentiated approach based on target group maturity. Policies should consider the varying levels of awareness about cyber resilience within the SME sector.
Lesson 3: Consolidation instead of further divergence. Since 2018, 72 collaborations have joined the DTC. The focus should be on consolidating and strengthening existing initiatives.
Lesson 4: Alignment with the Cyber Resilience Network. The development of a new scheme coincides with the integration of the DTC and NCSC, along with the establishment of the Cyber Resilience Network (CWN).
