Brussels, 7th April 2005

th Framework Programme prioritised amid highexpectations

Security has been included in the list of priority research themes in the Commission proposal for the 7th Framework Programme for Research & Development (2007-2013). Security makes a timely entry into the list of research themes to be undertaken swiftly, in order to respond to highly societal demand in the face of new security challenges and to enhance the competitiveness of the European Security Industry. Security Research forms part of the Security and Space thematic priority for cooperative research for which a common budget allocation of € 500 Mio per year is proposed.

Security in Europe is a precondition of prosperity and freedom. The EU Security Strategy: ¡®A Secure Europe in better World¡¯, adopted by the European Council, addresses the need for a comprehensive security strategy encompassing both civil and defence-related security measures.

Security related research is an important building block in supporting the Common Foreign and Security Policy as well as for realising a high level of security within an EU-wide area of justice, freedom and security as underpinned by the Hague programme. It will also contribute to developing technologies and capabilities in support of other EU policies in areas such as transport, civil protection, energy and environment.

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Existing security related research activities in Europe suffer from the fragmentation of efforts, the lack of critical mass of scale and scope and the lack of connections and interoperability. Europe needs to improve the coherence of its efforts by developing efficient institutional arrangements and by instigating the various national and international actors to co-operate and co-ordinate in order to avoid duplication and to explore synergy wherever possible. Security research at Community level will focus on activities of clear added value to the national level. As a consequence, security research at Community level will reinforce the competitiveness of the European security industry and contribute to the implementation of the Lisbon strategy.

The activities set out below will complement and integrate the technology- and systems-oriented research relevant to security which is carried out in other themes. They will be mission-oriented, developing the technologies and capabilities as required by the specific security missions. They are by design flexible so as to accommodate as yet unknown future security threats and related policy needs that may arise, stimulating cross-fertilisation and the take-up of existing technologies for the civil security sector, European security research will also encourage the development of multi-purpose technologies in order to maximise the scope for their application.

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Activities

• Protection against terrorism and crime: delivering technology solutions for threat (e.g. CBRN) awareness, detection, prevention, identification, protection, neutralisation and containment of effects of terrorist attacks and organised crime.
• Security of infrastructures and utilities: analysing and securing existing and future public and private critical/networked infrastructure (e.g. in transport, energy, ICT), systems and services (including financial and administrative services).
• Border security: focusing on technologies and capabilities to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of all systems, equipment, tools and processes required for improving the security of Europe¡¯s land and coastal borders, including border control and surveillance issues.
• Restoring security in case of crisis: focusing on technologies in support of diverse emergency management operations (such as civil protection, humanitarian and rescue tasks, support to CFSP), and on issues such as inter-organisational co-ordination and communication, distributed architectures and human factors.

The above four horizontal areas will be supported by the following themes of a more cross-cutting nature:

• Security Systems Integration and interoperability: focusing on technologies to enhance the interoperability of systems, equipment, services and processes, including law enforcement information infrastructures, as well as on the reliability, organisational aspects, protection of confidentiality and integrity of information and traceability of all transactions and processing.
• Security and society: mission orientated research which will focus on socio-economic analyses, scenario building and activities related to: the citizen¡¯s perception of security, ethics, protection of privacy and societal foresight. Research will also address technologies that better safeguard privacy and liberties, and will address vulnerabilities and new threats, as well as the management and impact assessment of possible consequences.
• Security Research Co-ordination and structuring: co-ordination of European and international security research efforts and development of synergy between civil, security and defence research, improvement of legal conditions, and encouragement to the optimal use of existing infrastructures.

Background

The establishment of a European Security Research Programme within FP7 had been advocated by a Group of Personalities (GOP). In its Communication ¡°Security Research ¨C The Next Steps¡± of 7 September 2004, the Commission proposes the way forward towards the development of a European Security Research Programme.

The European Security Research Priority enshrined in FP7 constitutes a homebase for consolidation of security research at EU level and has the ambition to provide a coherent and comprehensive set of responses to the high expectations of all stakeholders. It will benefit from the experience gained from the ongoing Preparatory Action for Security Research.

Inputs to meet the vision for Security Research will be provided by the European Security Research Advisory Board (ESRAB), forum where the users of security research i.e. the ¡°demand pull¡± and the security suppliers i.e. the ¡°technology push¡± meet to advise the Commission on security research needs.

Security research at Community level, managed by the Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry under Vice-President Verheugen, focuses on civil security applications.

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More information

Item source: Date: 07/04/2005