Author: George Armagos

On April 1, 2025, the TENACITy project co-organised the FCT and Border Management Projects Clustering Workshop alongside FLEXI-cross, TENSOR, and ODYSSEUS. This workshop served as a platform to exchange knowledge, explore shared challenges, and align strategies for the responsible application of AI in security contexts.

The event brought together experts and stakeholders from all four projects to reflect on project progress, share lessons learned, and address technical, operational, and ethical challenges. Special attention was given to the ethical implications of AI in security, with participants discussing how to ensure AI technologies are both effective and aligned with EU values and principles.

An important conclusion from all the discussions was the necessity of strong standardization to guarantee uniformity in the application of AI across various security fields. This was identified as a key factor in ensuring interoperability, security, and ethical consistency in AI deployment.

A key outcome of the workshop was the identification of common challenges across projects, ranging from data protection and system interoperability to the lack of clear standardization frameworks. These findings will be captured in a joint White Paper, currently in development, which will outline key insights, practical recommendations, and policy considerations to guide future AI governance in the security domain.

The workshop marked an important step toward closer collaboration between Horizon Europe-funded projects working on AI and security. By aligning efforts and pooling expertise, the participating projects aim to contribute to a more unified and ethically sound approach to AI deployment.

TENACITy is proud to be part of this collective effort and looks forward to continuing this work through the upcoming White Paper, which will be shared with policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders in the coming months.

The 2nd TENACITy Living Lab Workshop took place on February 28, 2025, at the premises of EUROPEAN DYNAMICS, bringing together a diverse group of security experts, Passenger Information Units (PIUs), airline security officers, and technical partners. This collaborative event provided a dynamic space for hands-on tool validation, scenario-based exercises, and insightful discussions, all aimed at enhancing crime prevention and security operations across Europe.

Exploring Advanced Security Solutions

The workshop commenced with an overview of the TENACITy Project, outlining its core mission, objectives, and the goals of this Living Lab. Participants were introduced to the latest advancements in digital tools designed to support data-driven decision-making, risk assessment, and security monitoring. Following this, attendees engaged in a scenario presentation tailored for airline security officers, while PIUs took part in small-scale exercises to apply key intelligence methodologies to real-world travel security scenarios. These activities emphasized the importance of inter-agency collaboration in ensuring a coordinated and effective response to security challenges.

Hands-On Testing & Technical Validation

One of the most valuable aspects of the workshop was the hands-on session, where participants had the opportunity to test and validate the developed tools in practical, real-time applications. With live support from technical partners, attendees navigated through different functionalities, utilizing chat assistance, training materials, and user manuals to ensure a comprehensive understanding of each tool’s capabilities. The second phase of the workshop focused on PIU-specific scenario presentations, followed by a collaborative hands-on session where PIUs explored the interoperability and synergies between different tools. This session allowed participants to engage in interactive troubleshooting and refinement, further strengthening the operational readiness of the solutions.

Insights, Feedback & Future Improvements

The roundtable discussions and feedback sessions served as a crucial platform for exchanging insights, assessing the effectiveness and usability of the tools, and proposing enhancements for future iterations. Airline security officers provided constructive feedback to the PIU community, sharing observations on tool functionality, integration, and potential areas for improvement. Discussions centered around optimizing usability, streamlining workflows, and ensuring seamless data flow between security stakeholders. The workshop concluded with a final feedback session, where participants and technical experts consolidated their key takeaways, reinforcing the next steps for refining and implementing these digital security solutions in real-world operations.

A Collaborative Effort for a Safer Future

The 2nd TENACITy Living Lab Workshop underscored the importance of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement in travel intelligence and security governance. By bringing together key stakeholders, this event fostered knowledge sharing, practical tool validation, and a collective commitment to strengthening security measures across Europe. We extend our gratitude to all participants and technical partners whose expertise and engagement were essential in shaping the successful completion of the 2nd TENACITy Living Lab. Your contributions were key to making the event a success and advancing innovation in travel intelligence and security.

The TENACITy Project was proudly represented at the Research and Innovation Symposium for European Security and Defence (RISE-SD 2024), held on 16–17 October 2024 in Chalkidiki, Greece. The symposium brought together leading voices from across Europe to explore innovative approaches to security in areas such as counter-terrorism, disaster response, infrastructure protection, and cybersecurity.

At this key event, the TENACITy team delivered a project presentation outlining:

• The challenge and motivation behind TENACITy
• Our vision for a smarter, values-based travel intelligence framework
• Progress made so far, including milestones from tool development, training, and stakeholder engagement

In addition to the presentation, TENACITy hosted a dedicated booth, where attendees were invited to explore the project’s goals, methodologies, and impacts through curated dissemination materials. The booth served as a valuable touchpoint for engaging directly with security professionals, researchers, and policy stakeholders.

This event was a meaningful opportunity to:

• Showcase the achievements of the TENACITy consortium
• Exchange insights with parallel EU-funded projects
• Build connections with experts working to enhance European security cooperation

We thank everyone who stopped by our booth and contributed to the conversation on improving travel intelligence systems for the benefit of law enforcement, policymakers and civil society alike.

An end user workshop has been organised in Cyprus this week at the premises of the Cyprus PIU. The topics addressed included: 

• Platform integration: Identifying approaches to integrate external platforms into our digital platform. 

• Use Case Discussion: Discussing potential refinements and updates in use cases to align them with common PIU operational practices and enhance validation processes. 

•  Living Lab exercises: Discussing the designing exercises to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing among practitioners in the next Living Lab activities. 

We are currently exploring the feasibility of some interesting enhancements on the hand-on experience with the TENACITy platform in the next Living Lab for all practitioners in the traveling intelligence domain. The engagement of the end users is essential to identify innovation traits as focus points in our roadmap to deliver the final technology release of the TENACITy digital platform. 

On October 2–3, 2024, the TENACITy Consortium convened in Brno, Czech Republic, for the 3rd Plenary Meeting — a two-day in-person gathering that marked an important step in the project’s collaborative journey.

The meeting brought together all project partners to review progress across each Work Package, share technical insights, and ensure alignment on key priorities. Discussions focused on the latest developments in the project’s tools, governance frameworks, training strategies, and upcoming pilot activities. This in-depth exchange allowed partners to reflect on achievements, troubleshoot current challenges and collectively shape the path forward.

Key outcomes from the meeting included:

• Comprehensive updates on the progress and integration of TENACITy tools
• Planning for the upcoming pilot demonstrations and training sessions
• Strategic alignment on the final phase of the project, including dissemination and evaluation

These sessions were instrumental in fostering stronger cross-partner collaboration and maintaining momentum as TENACITy enters its final and most impactful phase.

A special thank you to our hosts and all participating partners for their contributions and commitment to strengthening travel intelligence and European security.

Strengthening the ecosystem collaboration for societal resilience against disinformation and disinformation-fuelled crime

What is a project cluster?

Project clustering refers to an alliance created by projects with related subjects or complementing interests, which can encompass partnerships for communication and dissemination activities, participation in meetings of common interest, joint capacity building activities and workshops, among other examples.

The European Commission incentivises the clustering of Horizon Europe projects in order to enhance the impact of financed projects. By forming or joining a cluster, projects can better collaborate and support each other through knowledge sharing and benchmarking project outcomes, hence creating synergies and facilitating the achievement of the proposed impacts.

The Hybrid Threats Cluster

Hybrid threats, a combination of tactics including diplomatic, military, economic, technological, have long been used to destabilise adversaries. Large-scale online disinformation campaigns for instance are used to shape the political narrative and subsequently hinder democratic processes. Countering these constantly evolving challenges by enhancing resilience, and detecting, preventing and responding to hybrid threats is a key priority for the European Union and its member states. In light of  this, a cluster of innovative projects has been created to increase societal resilience to disinformation, misinformation and hybrid threats by strengthening cross-stakeholder collaboration. Knowledge sharing, upskilling and alignment on activities, enables the cluster participants to enhance the efforts and maximise the impact of their respective projects.

The projects involved in the cluster include:

FERMI – Fake News Risk Mitigator

ATHENA – An Exposition On The Foreign Information Manipulation And Interference

RESONANT – Interdisciplinary Research Project on Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference

TENACITy – Travel Intelligence Against Crime And Terrorism

TENSOR – Reliable biomeTric tEchNologies to asSist Police authorities in cOmbating terrorism and oRganized crime

Vera.aI – VERification Assisted by Artificial Intelligence

VIGILANT – Vital Intelligence To Investigate Illegal Disinformation

The TENACITy Project successfully conducted its 1st Pilot Demonstration in Larnaca, Cyprus, on 18–19 June 2024. This pivotal two-day event brought together consortium partners and external stakeholders, including Passenger Information Units (PIUs), for the first operational testing of TENACITy’s innovative travel intelligence tools.

The pilot opened with an overview of the project’s goals and a detailed presentation of the pilot’s structure. Participants were introduced to realistic use case scenarios that demonstrated how the tools developed under the project can be applied to detect, analyse, and respond to complex travel-related security threats.

Day 1 focused on high-level presentations outlining the pilot’s objectives, tools, and expected outcomes. The day concluded with a technical validation and feedback session, providing valuable insights into system performance and usability.

Day 2 offered a more hands-on experience. Technical partners guided participants through practical exercises using the developed tools in scenario-based environments. This session allowed end users to interact directly with the platform, test tool functionalities, and simulate decision-making in real time.

A roundtable discussion followed, enabling stakeholders to share experiences and recommendations. The pilot concluded with an interactive assessment quiz, evaluating user experience and knowledge gained during the sessions.

This pilot marked a key step in validating the TENACITy platform through:

• Real-life scenario testing
• End-user engagement and training
• Structured feedback collection for continuous improvement
• Legal and regulatory assessment of operational readiness

The 1st Pilot was a critical step in validating the TENACITy tools in operational settings, strengthening collaboration among stakeholders and ensuring the platform meets the real-world needs of end users.

We’re thrilled to announce a significant milestone in the TENACITy project as we wrap up a pivotal review event, marking the transition into the next chapter of our journey. This milestone signifies a crucial step forward in our mission to revolutionize public safety through research and innovation.

The insights and feedback gathered from the review event have already begun to catalyze innovative advancements within our project. Our team is more energized and committed than ever to push the boundaries of what’s possible in our field.

As we move into the second half of our journey, we are focused on enhancing our designs, refining operational workflows, and adopting a citizen-centric approach. These efforts are setting the stage for exciting technological leaps that will shape the future of public safety.

Stay tuned as we continue to transform challenges into opportunities and foster safer communities through research and development. The road ahead is promising, and we look forward to sharing more thrilling updates with you!

We are thrilled to announce the successful conclusion of the TENACITy Training & Living Lab workshop, a collaborative initiative aimed at fostering innovation within law enforcement agencies (LEAs). Co-organized by the Center for Security Studies (KEMEA) and Hardware and Software Engineering, with the active participation of the TENACITy Consortium and external Passenger Information Units (PIUs), this event was held at the KEMEA premises in Athens on February 29th and March 1st. It brought together a diverse group of stakeholders to explore cutting-edge solutions and drive positive change in security studies.

Day One:

The workshop kicked off with a dynamic blend of educational activities designed to empower LEAs with the latest tools and techniques. Through interactive sessions and practical demonstrations, participants embarked on a journey of discovery, learning how to integrate the TENACITy solution into their daily operations. Discussions were lively, and ideas flowed freely as attendees exchanged views, shared best practices, and collaborated on problem-solving strategies.

Day Two:

Building on the momentum of the first day, the second day of the workshop was dedicated to in-depth discussions and comprehensive assessments. Round table discussions provided a platform for participants to dive deeper into the development and implementation of project tools, fostering a spirit of collaboration and innovation. The event concluded with an assessment process, ensuring that participants left with a clear understanding of their progress and next steps.

The success of the Training & Living Lab workshop was a testament to the power of collaboration and shared commitment. With over 70 attendees from external Project Implementation Units (PIUs) and the TENACITy Consortium, the event was a vibrant exchange of ideas and experiences. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all participants for their invaluable contributions and dedication to advancing the objectives of the TENACITy project.