Security

Background

The Security Helix was amongst the first tranche of Helix communities launched by Crowdhelix in early 2013, and is currently managed by the Crowdhelix Community Management team. We are, however, seeking expressions of interest from high-profile researchers in the field to take a leadership role for this Helix from 2021 onwards.

Scope

Closely linked with the activities of both the Cybersecurity Helix and the Society Helix, Crowdhelix’s Security Helix provides an Open Innovation community for experts seeking international collaborators to carry out research and innovation in support of the following objectives:

• fighting crime, illegal trafficking and terrorism, including understanding and tackling terrorist ideas and beliefs
• protecting and improving the resilience of critical infrastructures, supply chains, and transport modes
• strengthening security through border management
• improving Europe's resilience to crises and disasters
• ensuring privacy and freedom and enhancing the legal and ethical understanding of all areas of security, risk, and management
• enhancing the standardisation and interoperability of systems, including for emergency purposes
• supporting supranational security policies, including conflict prevention and peace building

Policy

Within the European Union’s Horizon Europe funding programme, several key areas of security research and innovation are detailed within the “Cluster 3” framework. Within this Cluster, civil security research is positioned under the wider umbrella of a capability-based approach to capacity-building in the security sector. Mission-oriented security actions also form part of the Horizon Europe framework, which aim to integrate the demands of many different end-users (citizens, businesses, civil society organisations and administrations, including national and international authorities, civil protection, law enforcement, border guards, etc.) to address the evolution of security threats and privacy protection, and the necessary societal aspects. Crowdhelix intends to support this endeavour by helping to widen participation in security research & innovation actions to communities beyond R&I stakeholders, which will help lead to more citizen-centric and co-developed outcomes, thereby promoting increased societal uptake.