HORIZONT EUROPE - Global Challenges and Competitiveness - Cluster 3 - Civil Security for Society
Security is one of the priorities in the life of our society, and due attention must be paid to it. Security threats have no boundaries, so a concerted and coordinated effort from politicians, industry and security forces to research is needed to bring about the necessary innovations in technology and practices and an understanding of the human factor. Cluster 3 focuses on a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to addressing civilian security issues to support the implementation of relevant EU priorities,
The main objective is to protect citizens and the European economy, public spaces and critical infrastructures of all types from terrorism and crime, and to ensure a secure digital environment. Research includes understanding the root causes of terrorism and crime to ensure effective prevention and innovation of technologies and procedures for early warning as well as for rapid and effective response in the event of a real threat. The protection of external borders is aimed at the legal, safe and rapid movement of people and goods. The objective in the field of cyber security is to create a trustworthy and, above all, secure digital environment using the latest technologies and services.
The Cluster3 will work in synergy with the Digital Europe Programme, the Internal Security Fund and the Integrated Border Management Fund and will be coordinated with EU defence research in the areas of dual use applications. The research focuses on the needs identified by end-users and on building the capacity of the security sector to anticipate threats and respond optimally to the consequences of incidents, as well as on understanding the human factor and the societal context.
The topics addressed will be closely coordinated with key European agencies such as FRONTEX, JRC, ENISA and the European Defence Agency EDA. Research tasks are adapted to progress from prevention to response and recovery, with an emphasis on interoperability of technologies and services. The solutions are rigorously attentive to respect for human rights, protection of personality and the social context of the impact of technologies. Coherence with the results of previous projects and linkages with other programmes, in particular EU programmes on homeland security and digital technologies, shall be monitored.
Cluster 3 is structured into six areas (destinations):
- Better protecting Europe and its people from crime and terrorism
- Effective protection of the EU's external borders
- Resilient infrastructure
- Improved cyber security
- A disaster-resilient society
- Enhanced security research and innovation
EC information on the whole HE programme is here and details on Cluster 3 are here
On 6 December 2022, the European Commission published the Cluster 3 work programme with calls for the period 2023-24. The calls will open 42 topics with a total budget of almost €320 million. The call deadlines are in November 2023.
The Prague Technology Centre organised a National Information Day on the challenges of 2023 on 24 November.