PhD Training School on Cybersecurity, Communication Skills and Scientific Communication

Overview

The MSCA DIGITAL PhD Training Week brings together three complementary doctoral training components:

• Cybersecurity in Digital Finance — 3 ECTS

• Communication Skills — 1 ECTS

• Scientific Communication — 1 ECTS

Together, these courses support doctoral candidates in developing both technical and transferable skills required for high-quality research in digital finance.

The cybersecurity component introduces doctoral candidates to cybersecurity in digital finance from social, software, hardware, organisational, and regulatory perspectives. It examines how cyber risks emerge in financial services, how organisations detect and prevent fraud, and how cloud services and digital financial systems must comply with EU regulatory expectations.

The Communication Skills and Scientific Communication components train doctoral candidates to communicate effectively about their research to different audiences. Participants will learn how to craft core messages, analyse target audiences, design communication strategies, pitch their research to non-specialist audiences, and write a popular article about their research.

Course Components

1. Cybersecurity in Digital Finance — 3 ECTS

This course introduces PhD candidates to cybersecurity in digital finance. It combines lectures, expert sessions, practical workshops, supervised group work, and short student presentations.

The course covers cybersecurity from several complementary perspectives:

• Safety–security interactions

• Social engineering and the human element in cybersecurity

• Cybersecurity of cloud services and compliance in digital finance

• Fault trees and risk analysis

• Cybersecurity research in financial engineering and business information systems

• Fraud detection and prevention in digital financial systems

Participants will connect cybersecurity concepts to digital finance research, organisational practice, and regulatory expectations.

2. Communication Skills — 1 ECTS

This component focuses on practical communication skills for doctoral researchers. Participants will learn how to present their research clearly, structure messages for non-specialist audiences, and use storytelling and presentation techniques.

The course includes practical exercises on:

• Presenting research to non-expert audiences

• Crafting a clear core message

• Using storytelling techniques

• Structuring a short research pitch

• Giving and receiving peer feedback

3. Scientific Communication — 1 ECTS

This component focuses on communicating science responsibly and effectively in academic, professional, and public contexts.

Participants will work on:

• Analysing target audiences

• Designing a communication strategy for their research project

• Choosing appropriate communication formats

• Writing a popular research article

• Reflecting on the changing roles and responsibilities of researchers in the public domain

Candidates will develop a communication strategy, pitch their research for a non-specialist audience, write a popular article, and complete a reflection assignment.

Important links

• Registration link.

• Online attendance is available on Microsoft Teams at this link.

• MSCA DIGITAL GitHub (for course materials+assessment materials) link.

• The WhatsApp Group for this event can be joined from this link.

Course Setup, Assessment and Schedule

Setup

The training week combines three doctoral training components for a total of 5 ECTS:

Cybersecurity in Digital Finance:Lectures, workshops, expert sessions, supervised work, presentations/report work

Communication Skills: Workshops, presentation exercises, peer feedback

Scientific Communication: Workshops, communication strategy, popular article, reflection

The training week includes:

• Preparatory self-study and short assignments.

• In-person lectures and workshops at the University of Twente.

• Interactive expert sessions.

• Supervised work on presentations, reports, and communication assignments.

• Final assignments to be completed after the training week.

Participants are expected to attend all required sessions, participate actively, complete the preparatory work, and submit the required assignments.

A certificate of attendance will be issued after participation in the relevant course components; later on, a certificate of completion will be issued upon completion of the required assignments for each of the 3 courses.

Assessment

Assessment is based on participation, preparation, and completion of the required assignments for each course component.

Cybersecurity in Digital Finance — 3 ECTS

Participants are assessed on:

Active participation in lectures, expert sessions, workshops, and supervised work.

Engagement with cybersecurity topics and contribution to discussions.

Preparation and delivery of a short presentation or report idea.

Completion of a short written output or report connected to cybersecurity in digital finance.

Communication Skills — 1 ECTS

Participants are assessed on:

Active participation in communication exercises.

Preparation and delivery of a short pitch or presentation.

Use of appropriate communication techniques for a non-specialist audience.

Engagement with peer feedback.

Scientific Communication — 1 ECTS

Participants are assessed on:

Completion of a communication strategy for their own research project.

Writing of a popular research article using storytelling techniques.

A short reflection on the role and responsibilities of researchers in the public domain.

Three final communication-related assignments: a strategic communication plan, a popular research article, and a one-page reflection.

Where assignments are insufficient, a single repair opportunity may be provided.

All course and assessment material should be uploaded on to the MSCA DIGITAL GitHub

Prior Knowledge and Learning Objectives

No advanced prior knowledge of cybersecurity, communication skills, or scientific communication is required.

Participants are expected to have a basic understanding of digital finance, information systems, or related research areas. They are also expected to participate actively, bring examples from their own research, and engage constructively in discussions and peer-feedback exercises.

By the end of the training week, doctoral candidates will be able to:

Cybersecurity in Digital Finance

• Identify key cybersecurity challenges in digital finance.

• Explain cybersecurity risks from social, software, hardware, organisational, and regulatory perspectives.

• Discuss how human behaviour and social engineering affect cybersecurity risks.

• Understand safety–security interactions in digital and financial systems.

• Explain the relevance of cloud security and compliance with EU regulatory expectations.

• Analyse cybersecurity approaches to fraud detection and prevention.

• Connect cybersecurity concepts to their own doctoral research.

Communication Skills

• Craft a clear core message about their research.

• Present their research to a non-specialist audience.

• Use storytelling and presentation techniques effectively.

• Adapt communication style to the needs of different audiences.

Scientific Communication

• Analyse the needs and expectations of target audiences.

• Choose appropriate communication formats for different goals and audiences.

• Design a communication strategy for their research project.

• Write a popular article about their research.

• Reflect on the changing roles and responsibilities of researchers in the public domain.

Course Schedule - Location is the University of Twente, Ravelijn Building, VIP room (ground floor).

Scientific and Organisation Committees

Scientific Committee

Cybersecurity in Digital Finance

Christina Kolb

Xiaohong Huang

Jan-Willem Bullee

Yasir Haq

Abhishta Abhishta

Communication Skills and Scientific Communication

Anne M. Dijkstra

Wendy Tollenaar

Kees Wesselink-Schram

Organisation Committee

Christina Kolb

Xiaohong Huang

Wouter Van Heeswijk

Frédérik Sinan Bernard

Valeri Andreev

Asen Pantov

Acknowledgments

This project and event was fully funded and supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions under the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program for the Industrial Doctoral Network on Digital Finance, acronym DIGITAL, Project No. 101119635

The MSCA Digital Finance network also acknowledges G-Research's funding support.