Results of SRIE2016 Highlighted by European Commission Offical

Recently, an info session related to the Horizon 2020 security call 2018 took place. This information day and brokerage event focused on details on the calls for proposals under the societal challenge Secure Societies. These calls offer new research funding opportunities to several security stakeholders.

European Cluster Meeting

During this info day, the results of the Security Research & Innovation Event (SRIE) 2016 were emphasised by European Commission (EC) official Christoph Castex. At this event, HSD's initiative to stimulate cooperation with other regions that are strong in safety and security was invigorated. Castex enthusiastically highlighted the first European clusters meeting in 2016 - which was faciliteded by HSD - emphasising the added value of enhanced coordination between regional clusters. Creating a truly more secure Europe requires European cooperation. That means collaboration between the triple helix partners, facilitated by the security clusters. Cooperation at cluster level creates the right context, ultimately leading to better solutions and greater economic and social returns.

Towards a stronger security union

Following this, Mr. Castex referred to last year’s SRIE event in Talinn and an EC non-paper on strengthening the Security Union. This framework summarises the EC’s state of play regarding the security sector in Europe and its near future. You can read it here: EC Non-Paper: Towards a Stronger Security Union

Stronger alignment between security research and regional funds
Mr. Castex stressed the importance of creating synergies. According to him, there are ongoing negotiations within the EC by which other funds shall be used to promote the security sector according to the single market. Obviously, the EC strives for a stronger alignment between security research and regional funds. This is demonstrated by the fact that the departments Home Affairs and Regional and Urban Policy currently discuss possible arrangements for a better use of regional funds to boost the security sector.