On 19th of April 2023 EU-HYBNET Future Trends Workshop, #FTW2023, took place in Bucharest, Romania. The topic of this workshop’s was – “Hybrid Threats in the EU Neighbourhood – Implications for the future of EU security”.
Recent events in the EU neighbourhood have brought into attention a complex dynamic of adversarial tools and strategies involving weaponization of information, technology, cyberspace, critical infrastructure, energy, in an intricate pattern aimed to weaken cohesion and generate polarisation across the EU and its neighbourhood.
The purpose of the workshop is to support stakeholders’ everyday work by providing a future outlook for strategic planning and consider the consequences of today’s policy choices in long-term.
During the workshop experts discussed current and future hybrid treats as well as solutions for practitioners. Discussion panels focused mainly on disinformation, cyber treats, and societal resilience as a defence to hybrid warfare.
Experts also debated about several manifestations of hybrid treats. Undoubtedly the weaponization of information, technologies, critical infrastructures, and CBRN materials has intensified, and paying more attention is crucial. It was highlighted that concrete actions, training & exercise should be taken, to build a resilient society. All agreed that the key to fighting the hybrid treats is the involvement of the public.
Participants also discussed the importance of the Arctic and the necessity to focus more on this strategic region for EU and NATO as it is already being targeted by hybrid treats.
For further information on EU-HYBNET please visit project website or follow the project through Twitter and LinkedIn.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 883054.
On the 28th of March 2023, the EU-HYBNET consortium held its 3rd Gaps and Needs event in Rome, Italy, and officially kicked-off its 3rd project cycle.
Consortium and network members joined the discussion to define pan-European practitioners’ and other relevant actors’ (industry, academia, NGOs) gaps and needs to counter hybrid threats. The discussion revolved around three of the project’s four core themes:
• Cyber and Future Technologies • Information and Strategic Communication • Resilient Civilians, Local Level, National Administration with Future Trends being an overarching theme.
Participants were divided into 3 smaller groups according to the core theme of their interest to allow for active participation and discussion. During these sessions, they were able to share their experiences in the field and brainstorm on existing threats, risks and trends and consequently identify a long list of gaps and needs.
Similar to previous cycles, the results of these discussions will now be analysed by EU-HYBNET partners and used to develop a shortlist of gaps and needs that will then drive the mapping of innovations undertaken by the project in its 3rd cycle. Upcoming EU-HYBNET events will also collect stakeholders’ feedback based on this assessment.
Project partners UCSC hosted the event and Hybrid CoE organized the discussions and methodology.
Gaps and Needs events are only open to the EU-HYBNET consortium and network.
We welcome the feedback of additional practitioners and look forward to welcoming them into our network, among other hybrid threats stakeholders. The next Gaps and Needs event will be held in Spring 2024.
If you are interested in joining EU-HYBNET’s network, you can read the associated information and apply on the project’s website. For further information on EU-HYBNET, you can follow the project through Twitter and LinkedIn.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 883054.
L3CE, as a coordinator of STARLIGHT co-development cycle dedicated for detection of misinformation, together with Belgium Police, delivered a presentation in the General Assembly of STARLIGHT in San Sebastian (Spain), in the end of March 2023. It discussed the progress that has been made in the development of tools for law enforcement agencies (LEAs) for investigating misinformation crimes.
The co-development cycle is deeply engaging collaborative process that brings together LEAs, technology providers, and other stakeholders to develop tools and solutions that can be used to detect and investigate misinformation. Belgium police reflected on their experience in the co-dev cycle:
New experience for police. This model helps to energize and deeply engage police representatives, and provides opportunity for very dynamic and productive work with technology providers.
Real-life use case scenarios provided by LEAs are extremely helpful for producing relevant and engaging process. Practical scenarios helped to understand the relevance of the tools and how the tools could be used in practical settings.
After several discussions, LEA is capable to make informed decisions selecting best fit technologies that can be used in their work.
ELSA (Ethics, Legal, and Social Aspects) play a hugely important role in the work of the police. Co-development cycles provide an opportunity to have in-dept discussion of how specific tools would impact ELSA considerations.
These indications once again confirm that collaborative frameworks have huge potential for innovation uptake. They require preparation and skills to be used, but bring significant benefits in deeper engagement and higher quality of outcomes.
More about General assembly in San Sebastian: here.
L3CE is also coordinating STARLIGHT task Multi-modal project awareness campaign for LEAs, Public, Civil society and EC services. If you in your professional capacity, or your organization would like to be informed about STARLIGHT progress, or involved in the activities, please contact us at info@l3ce.eu.
The Cybersecurity & Cybercrime Focus Group meeting on April 17th, hosted as part of the EAGLE project, gathered experts to discuss the development of cybersecurity and cybercrime prevention courses for SMEs in Lithuania. The focus group addressed the key issues and challenges surrounding the development of effective courses.
We are happy and proud to announce that in the end of March 2023 L3CE (Lithuanian Cybercrime Center of Excellence for Training, Research and Education) expert Edmundas Piesarskas has been appointed as member of ENISA Ad Hoc Working Group (AHWG) on European Cybersecurity Skills Framework (ECSF) for upcoming 2 years.
The aim of the ENISA (European Agency for Cybersecurity) AHWG on ECSF was to develop the initial well structured European framework for relevant tasks, skills and knowledge required in cybersecurity. Initial results of the ADWH were presented in September 2022. L3CE expert Edmundas Piesarskas was an active member of the group. After the ECSF was well received by different stakeholders, ENISA decided to initiate new AHWG with more focus on active deployment of the Framework. L3CE is also present in the second AHWG, as our representative was appointed again as a member of the group. We are glad that competence present in our organization is recognised by EU level organization and Lithuania is presented in important initiatives shaping EU cybersecurity landscape. Best luck to Edmundas!
On the 2-3rd of February, 2023 a project EAGLE aimed at addressing the specific skills gaps faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in EU was launched. The project, called “CovEring the trAining Gap in digital skills for European SMEs manpower” (EAGLE), is designed to help SMEs adapt to the rapidly changing digital landscape and ensure they have the skilled workforce needed to compete and thrive in the global economy.
According to the recent data, more than half of European SMEs lack the digital skills necessary to grow and innovate. This is a significant barrier to success, as digitalization is increasingly becoming a key driver of economic growth and competitiveness.
To address this challenge, the EAGLE project will develop targeted training courses to support to SMEs in closing the gap of existing skills in specific technology areas of: •Robotics, •Data analytics and ethical AI, •Blockchain technology and blockchain in finance, •Cybercrime, cyberthreats and cybersecurity, •Intersection of energy and technological systems.
The EAGLE project consortium includes universities, business associations and SME’s. Focus of the project will be on establishing sustainable links between academia and small business representatives, so that academia could respond to the challenges and needs of SME’s. The project is funded by the European Union’s the Digital Europe Programme.
The EAGLE project will enhance existing training courses of consortium members with holistic approach, broader methodological support and enhanced training material and tools. Leveraging existing investments will allow delivery on ambitious timeline. Overall, 6 training courses will be launched based on surveys of SME’s skill needs, thus providing relevant upskilling/reskilling means for the market. They will be promoted on Digital Skills and Jobs Platform. Project will develop a methodology for identification of gaps, designing relevant courses, quality assurance and accreditation.
Project will extend for 36 months, enrolment to courses will be opened in spring 2024.
FOR INTERESTED PARTIES:
Private persons who are interested in upskilling/reskilling opportunities (job seekers, one’s willing to explore other career paths) please register to receive information on the launch of courses, training opportunities.
Business associations of SME’s, SMEs themselves, please register your interest with the project EAGLE to participate in surveys of needs, enrolling employees to training courses and evaluation process.
The project aims to facilitate female engagement in aforementioned technology areas. NGO’s and other organizations looking for ways to attracting women to technology sectors. Thus, EAGLE is a relevant platform to discuss modalities of collaboration.
Institutions of higher education having interest in developing and delivering courses to address skill gaps of SME’s, please register with EAGLE to participate in development and distribution of training courses.
PROJECT CONSORTIUM:
The EAGLE project is run by consortium from Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Spain, representing Academia, Centers of Excellence, Business Associations and Digital Innovation Hubs and SMEs.
Higher Education Institutions: •Universidad de Burgos (UBU) (Spain) •Univerzita Mateja Bela (UMB) (Slovakia) •Technical University of Ostrava (VSB) (Czech Republic) •University of Limerick (UL) (Ireland) •Turku University of Applied Sciences (Finland)
Center of Excellence: Lithuanian Cybercrime Center of Excellence for Training, Research & Education (L3CE)
SME: Vernian RTI (Cyprus)
Business Associations and Digital Innovation Hubs: •Confederación de Asociaciones Empresariales de Burgos (FAE) •Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SOPK) •Skillnet Ireland •Asociación Digital Innovation Hub Industry 4.0 (DIHBU)
EAGLE has a duration of 36 months, starting from the 1st of January 2023, and a total budget of 2.28 million euros, of which 1.28 million euros funded by the European Union.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) under grant agreement No 101100660. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
L3CE together with European security clusters SAFE, LSEC, SCS, SYSTEMATIC, CenSec and HSD implements SecurIT project aimed to boost innovations in Cybersecurity and strengthen the EU’s capacity to be better prepared and counter more efficiently cyber-threats and incidents.
The project is financing 3.5 million EUR from the European Commission to innovative Cyber Security solutions created by SMEs, which further can be tested and validated with potential integrators or public authorities’ end-users.
SecurIT will select up to 21 projects per Open Call aiming to develop new prototypes or demonstrators with support from SecurIT consortium.
During the live webinar, we will introduce the Open Call priorities, explain how this financing instrument is organized, how to find potential partners, what are the next milestones and how to prepare a successful application.
The exponential growth in online child sexual exploitation and abuse material (CSEM) is a significant challenge for European law enforcement agencies. For officers responding to potential victims of CSEM, this means they need to be equipped with the necessary skills and training to swiftly act in the best interests of the child.
To assist these first responding officers, a new set of training guidelines have been published today on the occasion of the European Day on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse. This toolkit is the result of a collaboration between Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) and the European Cybercrime Training and Education Group (ECTEG) in the framework of the GRACE project.
The guidelines will equip first responding officers with the necessary knowledge to effectively handle delicate situations that take place at a victim’s close whereabouts, such as their home or school, often hidden from the eyes of the public.
The guidelines are prepared in a way that encompasses the unified standards that these officers can use in their daily work, equipping them with relevant information on how best to respond if they came across a child they believe is being subjected to sexual abuse.
The restricted version of these guidelines will be embedded into the ECTEG’s eFirst project, as part of the knowledge base that every law enforcement officer should be aware of, regardless of their field of work.
GRACE (Global Response Against Child Exploitation) is an EU-funded Horizon 2020 project that aims to equip European law enforcement agencies with advanced analytical and investigative capabilities to respond to the spread of online CSEM that will help safeguard victims and prosecute offenders. GRACE will be running until November 2023 to apply proven technologies to referral and analysis process while embracing the technical, ethical and legal challenges unique to fighting child sexual exploitation. GRACE is leveraging resources already in place at Europol and participating EU Member States aiming to provide results early, frequently and flexibly – watch the GRACE video.
Europol is one of the 22 organisations across 14 countries in Europe that have come together to deliver GRACE. Its Innovation Lab is coordinating Europol’s participation in this project, while supporting numerous EU-funded projects with an advisory role. The European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) was set up to strengthen the law enforcement response to cybercrime in the EU and thus to help protect European citizens, businesses and governments from online crime. As a form of cybercrime, child sexual exploitation is one of the EU’s priorities in the fight against serious and organised crime as part of the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT).
ECTEG is the European Cybercrime Training and Education Group, an International non-for-profit organisation funded by the EU Commission. ECTEG comprises of participants from European Union Member States and candidate countries’ law enforcement agencies, international bodies, academia and private industry.
ECTEG’S eFIRST is a first responders e-learning tool that focuses on essential IT forensics and cybercrime, available in English and translated with adapted content in several EU languages.
For more information about these guidelines:
• For law enforcement: Reach out to Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre
For more information about GRACE, visit project website at https://grace-fct.eu or follow the project’s progress on Twitter @grace_fct_eu and LinkedIn gracefcteu.
GRACE has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement Number 883341.
Welcome to the first edition of the STARLIGHT newsletter! Follow the link below to read more about the STARLIGHT project’s aims, key milestones, and technical aspirations. In addition, we’ll provide updates on events and publications, and introduce our consortium partners.
STARLIGHT is one of the largest security-focused projects funded under the H2020 framework. It is a flagship project that brings together 52 partners from 18 European countries with 15 law enforcement agencies (LEAs) to enhance the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the security domain.
The goal of this newsletter is to extend the reach of STARLIGHT, developing further cooperation between researchers and security practitioners. This interaction will continue to provide a driving force for the project and facilitate the ambition for fast and effective uptake and adoption of solutions.
Furthermore, we provide a special focus on aligning legal and ethical provisions, legislative frameworks and the protection of fundamental rights for the uptake and adoption of AI technologies in the security domain.
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