Digital Trust Competence Center
We are an academic partner for managers, technology and industry experts as well as researchers aiming to share knowledge and best practices.
“Digital Trust means keeping our digital world safe and honest. This means ensuring secure online interactions by protecting data (cybersecurity), respecting privacy (data privacy), safely using new tech (emerging technologies), acting ethically (ethics and governance), managing risks, and following rules (compliance and audit).” – Competence Center Digital Trust
- Digital Trust is for us the “trustworthiness of digital technologies and data.
- Digital Trust is the basis of the digital economy ̶ regardless of which technologies or applications are involved and which data are processed. In the end, it is about treating digital data in a trustworthy manner so that we as private individuals or business partners can expect the highest possible level of protection and companies can (and want to) guarantee this.
- Digital Trust is important for Switzerland as a competitive location and for Europe! We use the proven concepts from governance, risk management and compliance (GRC) as well as from auditing as foundation.
Digital Trust is divided into five main areas for us:
- Cybersecurity & Resilience – the art of protecting networks, devices and data from unauthorized access or criminal use, and achieving resilience.
- Data protection – the strive towards protecting personal data from improper processing and securing the right to informational self-determination.
- Emerging Technologies – Emerging Technologies that have an impact on cybersecurity and Data protection (such as Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Quantum computers)
- Ethics – the concern to evaluate and design technologies and systems together with their data flows through appropriate measures.
- Governance – as a constitutive element of an organization’s value creation – by means of continuous overall consideration of all processes and responsibilities to manage risks effectively and efficiently.
Latest Posts
Spotlight on Swiss Africa Cybersecurity Community at Development Week 2025
On June 10th, Franka Ebai delivered an inspiring presentation on the Swiss Africa Cybersecurity Community project as part of FHNW’s Development Week. She shared insights into the project’s development, outlined its goals, and promoted upcoming community workshops.Key highlights of her talk included: 🚨 Relevance – Cybersecurity is a global priority. Our community offers accessible, meaningful exchange…
Children’s University of Applied Sciences 2025 – Interactive case studies enhance cybersecurity learning
On May 14, 2025, 22 children aged 10-12 from the Basel region participated in the FHNW Children’s University 2025 cybersecurity workshop. Janine Jäger and Hermann Grieder from the Digital Trust Competence Center at the School of Business FHNW led the session, focusing on educating young users about digital threats including…
Bettina Schneider Presents Swiss-Africa Cybersecurity Community at Global Conference on Cyber Capacity Building(GC3B)
Bettina Schneider with Luanda Domi from the Global Forum of Cyber Expertise (GFCE)Bettina Schneider took part as a delegate in the Global Conference on Cyber Capacity Building (GC3B) held in Geneva on 14th of May, where she led a spotlight session to present the newly launched …
Gamification is the New Education!
Our sixth Digital Trust Day, held on May 21, 2025, was once again a complete success! Our institute hosted this special day for the sixth time – each year with a new focus on digital trust and cybersecurity.From our Audit Exhibition spotlighting emerging tech to the thrilling Cybersecurity Adventure Rally, the…
Strengthening Aviation Cybersecurity: A Productive Three-Day Workshop Between FHNW and Airbus
The aviation industry faces an evolving landscape of challenges, from extreme weather conditions to the integration of new fuel and energy systems including hydrogen technology. As part of the EU Horizon Project Albatros, the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) recently hosted a productive three-day workshop focused…