The Minister of Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education of the Republic of Srpska Željko Budimir stated that the goal of the Cyber Academy of the Republic of Srpska, which started working in Banja Luka, is to train as many people as possible in the field of cyber security so systems of the Republic of Srpska can function smoothly.

Budimir pointed out that the primary task of the Cyber Academy in that sphere is to train experts from the Republic of Srpska, from the academic community to workers in the administration, and to provide support in the field of cyber security to the corporate community.

He said that the Cyber Academy cooperates with the company "Elta Systems" from Israel, which is a world leader in the field of cyber security.

"Our goal is knowledge. Only knowledge in the field of digitalization and cyber security can protect the Republic of Srpska," said Minister Budimir today in Banja Luka after the presentation on the start of the Cyber Academy of Srpska.

He stated that the risks that come in the information ecosystem are increasing every day, and that is why it is very important that Srpska acquires knowledge about protection against these risks from those who are the best in that field.

"The goal is to increase awareness of cyber security by getting as many people as possible, especially in the area of critical infrastructures in the Republic of Srpska, who will have skills in cyber security that will enable our systems to function smoothly," said Budimir.

The Director of the Agency for Information and Communication Technologies of the Republic of Srpska Dražen Višnjić stated that the training at the Cyber Academy was designed for four target groups, namely students of technical faculties at public universities in Srpska, IT staff in public administration and critical infrastructures of all sectors in Srpska, employees in ICT economy and employees in the corporate sector.

He stated that Srpska has numerous processes in the development of digitalization, but that one cannot enter such a degree of digitalization without adequate cyber security.

"Because then we are only exposing ourselves to cyber threats, and cyber threats have evolved extremely. In 2022 alone, we had the appearance of more than 390 new malicious softwares. In 2023, that number is even higher. Through the Cyber Academy, we are changing the paradigm of our national security, where we want every IT person to be trained in such a way as to be an expert in cyber security," Višnjić pointed out.

The CBO of the Cyber division of the "Elta Systems" company from Israel, Moti Harlev, stated that the company is honored that the Cyber Academy of Srpska has opened, adding that it is an educational activity that trains various experts in the defense of the national interests of the Republic of Srpska.

"The Cyber Academy reflects the relationship between Israel and the Republic of Srpska, a relationship that we really appreciate. We really appreciated when we saw that on October 8, the Israeli flag was projected on the Palace of the Republic," said Harlev.

He pointed out that the Cyber Academy will make the Republic of Srpska a regional hub for the exchange of cyber knowledge.

"This way, the return on investment is achieved because the experts who are formed in the Cyber Academy will offer services in the region," said Harlev.