Have you considered security in your innovation roadmap?

Behind that, other funding instruments such as the Internal Security Fund (ISF Police and ISF Borders and Visa) and the annual calls for proposals for Prevention and Preparedness in Civil Protection of DG ECHO, have contributed to addressing relevant security priorities via transnational collaborative projects.

But security is not exclusively a matter of practitioners and authorities: it is transversal to all businesses, sectors and organization type. Indeed, in order to address internal priorities (e.g. ensuring business continuity, prevent relevant risks or threats, ensure the safety of employees, clients, visitors, etc.), to respond to regulatory requirements (e.g. GDPR – General Data Protection Regulation) or to address the challenges posed by COVID-19, every organization has had to deal at least once with security and safety-related considerations.

Have you ever considered getting involved in the design of security-related solutions via a collaborative project?

Indeed, in this scenario, the options at stake are not only to develop a proper solution or to buy a commercial one or the services of a specialized company. A viable alternative can be to take part in a European R&I collaborative project dedicated to security-related aspects in your domain, such as the several projects funded by the European Commission through the Horizon 2020 programme This option can give organizations not-specialized in security the opportunity to contribute in the definition of the solutions’ requirements in line with their needs and priorities, participate in the analysis of critical challenges and potential impacts of innovations, and become early experimenters.

Horizon 2020 project history provides relevant examples in this regard. Such as IMPULSE – Identity Management in PUbLic SErvices which will experiment with AI and Blockchain technologies in innovative case studies in Denmark, Spain, Bulgaria, Iceland and Italy, led by public service partners. Or the 5D-AeroSafe – 5 services of Drones for increased airports and waterways safety and security project, aimed at developing a set of drone-based services to increase the safety and security for the transport sector. An additional example exists in the energy, health, urban mobility and infrastructures domain.

Download a sample of projects created via the Kaila platform.

Besides sector-specific opportunities, many others were included in the Societal challenge dedicated to Secure societies, encompassing cybersecurity applications, protection of physical and digital infrastructures, and risks management, most of which requiring end-users’ perspective for both design and experimentation phases. Additional ones are now expected with the forthcoming launch of the Horizon Europe calls for proposals, at both sector-specific level (e.g.  Climate, Energy and Mobility – Cluster 5 – Destination – Sustainable, secure and competitive energy supply) and within the so-called Cluster 3 – Civil Security for Society for which over 350 Mln/€ are expected to be allocated in topics for 2021 and 2022.

So why not include now security in your innovation roadmap?

Whatever field you are in, at ZABALA Innovation we can help you to identify relevant European funding opportunities, define specific use cases tailored to sectoral needs and challenges, and guide you in understanding how to access such opportunities. Reach out to us to discover more!