About CERIS

Targeted Thematic Workshops will be open to the security research community. They will be chaired by European Commission representatives and will cover key features of the civil security for society research programme.

One of the tools supporting the Thematic Workshops will be the project mapping and database, described below. The main activities will consist in gathering actors active in different thematic areas to exchange information about developments from policymaking, research, industry, practitioners and the civil society.

They will enable the collection of inputs from various sources, including from EU-funded projects (EU research as well as other programmes, e.g. capacity-building, training, education). This will constitute an important source for the preparation of CERIS State-of-the-art and Emerging Trends Reports (“CERIS Reports”) by the Commission. These reports will be used as multi-purpose reference documents (dissemination, information updates, briefings, research agenda etc.).

In order to meet CERIS’ objectives, links and interactions with existing networks are essential, in particular to discuss/assess requirements of security practitioners, capability gaps, opportunities brought about by technology and, as a consequence, research needs. In this respect, interactions are established with the following networks:

EU-funded networks

Building on the work of the Networks of Practitioners set up under Horizon 2020, the Commission facilitates the creation of Knowledge Networks for Security R&I by means of Horizon Europe funding (under the SSRI Thematic Area) and establishes bridges with existing Knowledge Networks (e.g. developed by policy DGs). The role of these networks is to collect, aggregate, process, disseminate and make the most of existing knowledge and thus contribute directly to the work of CERIS, including the drafting of CERIS reports, e.g. provide input on matters such as

• capability needs and gaps in the different Thematic Areas
• state-of-the-art technologies, techniques, methods and tools to help fill capability gaps
• outcomes (including on technological, industrial, legal and ethical issues), future trends, lessons learnt and best practices derived from past and current security research initiatives
• opportunities and constraints for the exploitation of EU security research and innovation projects in response to common capability gaps
• areas requiring standardised solutions and/or certification schemes to foster innovation uptake and market creation and the implementation of such schemes

Existing networks and national/regional fora

Platforms and networks relaying information to and from CERIS discussions are essential to ensure the alignment between the EU and national and regional levels regarding the definition and prioritisation of research needs. These platforms will not be under the direct responsibility of the Commission but are associated to the activities of CERIS whenever possible. These include the national ‘Communities of Users’ or existing networks representing different sectors, for example.

CERIS website and online platform

CERIS’ website provides information about Thematic Areas and related initiatives. It is updated with relevant dissemination materials such as case studies, briefs, and in the future, the CERIS reports.

To receive regular updates and relevant information on CERIS, please subscribe to our ‘stay tuned’ section.

In addition, the Project Explorer Searching Tool developed by the Joint Research Centre - Disaster Risk Management Knowledge Centre (JRC-DRMKC) provides a repository of projects relevant to different Thematic Areas of the security research programme.

Research results and analytical tools

In addition to Knowledge Networks for Security R&I, SSRI projects funded under the Horizon Europe civil security for society work programme also reinforce the analytical capacity of CERIS, delivering assessment and analysis tools, methods and techniques.