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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

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.

The second plenary meeting of TENACITy Project took place in Athens on November 2 and 3, 2023, providing an invaluable opportunity for the consortium members to meet in person and delve into the progress made since the preceding plenary session. Over the course of the two-day gathering, a comprehensive analysis of the advancements made within each Work Package and the corresponding milestones attained.

Participants offered detailed insights into the tasks they lead and the performed and planned activities for each of the tasks. At the closing of the plenary meeting featured an engaging open discussion, focusing on the technical partners exploration of tools and the synergies envisioned for the development phase.

Center for Security Studies (KEMEA) had the great opportunity to showcase TENACITy Project at the MEDEA Project Borders Security: Acting Ahead across Research, Practice, and Policy , which took place in Madrid during 27 – 28 September ISDEFE premises.

TENACITy aim, objectives, as well the Practitioners’ role in it were discussed at the “Practitioners’ Key Role in Security Research Pannel”, moderated by Giulio Maria Mancini PO & Area Coordinator for Border Management, DG Migration & Home Affairs.

The panel involved both practitioners and innovators to share their experiences and perspectives. It is always a pleasure to support initiatives and events that promote innovation and cooperation in the Security Sector, highlighting the importance of the participation of LEAs in EU projects for real-world testing and validation of new tools or procedures.

Center for Security Studies (KEMEA) had the great pleasure and opportunity to participate in the 87th Thessaloniki International Trade Fair, during 9-17 September 2023, and disseminated TENACITy Project.

TENACITy aims to implement and demonstrate a Travel Intelligence Governance Framework that will incorporate a holistic approach to crime prevention, will ensure that its proposed digital technologies will support the identification of the modus operandi of criminal and terrorism organizations and will include policy makers in the governance process.

It was a great opportunity to raise awareness about TENACITy and communicate the added value that can bring to the FCT sector.

The Projects to Policy Seminar, which took place in Brussels on June 14 and 15, 2023, was a highly successful event that brought together newly launched projects and policy DGs. Coordinated by DG HOME and REA, this seminar served as a valuable platform for collaboration and knowledge sharing. Its primary objective was to establish a strong connection between research initiatives and policy priorities by facilitating engagement and alignment. To achieve this, participants were organized into four distinct thematic areas, ensuring focused discussions and maximizing the seminar’s overall impact. The four thematic areas where:

• Fighting crime and terrorism & Infrastructure (FCT/INFRA)
• Strengthened Security Research and Innovation (SSRI)
• Disaster-resilient societies (DRS),
• Border management (BM)

The TENACITy team was enthusiastic about showcasing their advancements, exchanging knowledge, and receiving valuable advice from policy experts during the plenary sessions and focused discussions held within the seminar.

The TENACITy project was presented to visitors of the DEFEA-Defence Exhibition in Athens by the Centre for Security Studies (KEMEA) of the Hellenic Ministry of Citizen Protection who participated as an exhibitor. The TENACITy coordination team visiting the exhibition did not miss the opportunity to drop by KEMEA’s stand to say hello! 

The End-users Requirements Worskhop followed the consortium’s Plenary Meeting and took place on February 1st, 2023, at the American University of Cyprus in Larnaca. The purpose of this workshop was to collect end-user requirements and advance the use case definition process. There was an information sharing session and a discussion about the tools that where proposed by TENACITy to be developed for usage in the field of travel intelligence and purposed for fighting against crime and terrorism. The participants also had the chance to work together on a number of scenarios based on the TENACITy Proposal.

The TENACITy Plenary Meeting was held in Cyprus, on January 30 and 31, 2023. During the two day meeting the TENACITy consortium had the chance to meet in-person to discuss the progress that was achieved in the last six months of the TENACITy project and which WPs have begun and which milestones have already been reached. The partners gave an overview of the WPs they are responsible for and the relevant tasks on work package level.
The final part of the Plenary Meeting was an open discussion, mainly for the technology providers to discuss tool synergies and the architecture of the tools that will be developed.