Improving cyber defence and incident management with artificial intelligence

Closed

Programme Category

EU Competitive Programmes

Programme Name

European Defence Fund (EDF)

Programme Description

The European Defence Fund (EDF) is the Commission’s initiative to support collaborative defence research and development, and to foster an innovative and competitive defence industrial base.

Programme Details

Identifier Code

EDF-2021-CYBER-R-CDAI

Call

Improving cyber defence and incident management with artificial intelligence

Summary

This topic that has opened under the call ”Cyber threat intelligence and improved cyber operational capabilities” (EDF-2021-CYBER-R).

Addressing the challenges identified under the topic will require inter- and multidisciplinary approaches, where teams conduct work of both a technical and a non-technical nature. Analysis of technical, tactical, operational, strategic and political considerations are required.

Detailed Call Description

On a technical level, proposals should provide proof-of-concept solutions for AI-based incident management and cyber defence, including detection, mitigation and response. Proposals must not seek to further the analysis capabilities of IDS alone, but in the context of an automated or semi-automated system for handling incidents.
In additional to purely technical solutions, processes and actors of selected enterprises may need to be mapped, modelled and understood. Proposals are further expected to consider the interaction between human operators, analysts and decision makers and the automated or semi-automated incident management and response system.

 A suitable methodology for building contextual understanding is expected through case studies of selected processes, incidents and cyber-attacks of selected enterprises, and case studies of successful detection approaches and resilience oriented success stories where technical and non-technical challenges can be studied and addressed at different levels. An appropriate development approach, which includes user and stakeholder involvement, should be leveraged.

 All proposed activities ultimately support the creation of fit-for-purpose proof-of-concept prototypes of an automated or semi-automated incident management and cyber defence system, for select phases in the incident management cycle including detection and response. The prototypes may support human operators, analysts and decision-makers at all levels (technical, tactical, operational, strategic and political) and are expected to contribute to enhanced cyber situational awareness, increased military infrastructure resilience and improved protection against advanced cyber threats.

 The activities are sorted into three types of tasks:

  • Enhancing contextual knowledge of the enterprises, processes and decision-making where AI should be utilised.
  • Developing AI-based techniques supporting specific human operator/analyst tasks.
  • Exploring and developing AI as a decision-maker given limited authority in incident management and cyber defence.

 Feasibility studies drawing upon real-world scenarios should be utilised to ensure that developed proof-of-concepts and techniques are fit-for-purpose. It may also be necessary to create reference systems and appropriate tests cases to generate training data and evaluate the efficacy of different solutions. 

Call Total Budget

€13500000

Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan

100%

Thematic Categories

  • Justice - Security
  • Research, Technological Development and Innovation

Eligibility for Participation

  • Central Government
  • International Organisations
  • Large Enterprises
  • Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
  • State-owned Enterprises

Eligibility For Participation Notes

The action shall be carried out by legal entities cooperating within a consortium of at least three eligible legal entities which are established in at least three different Member States or associated countries. At least three of those eligible legal entities established in at least two different Member States or associated countries shall not, during the entire period in which the action is carried out, be controlled, directly or indirectly, by the same legal entity and shall not control each other.

The admissibility and eligibility conditions are described under Article 9 and Article 10(4) of the EDF regulation.

Call Opening Date

09/09/2021

Call Closing Date

09/12/2021

National Contact Point(s)

Ministry of Defense
172-174 Strovolos Avenue, 2048 Strovolos, Nicosia,
website: https://mod.gov.cy/
Telephone: 22 807500
Email: defence@mod.gov.cy

Department of Research and Innovation
Phones: 22 807755, 22 807754
Email: research.innovation@mod.gov.cy

(Publish Date: 29/09/2021-for internal use only)

EU Contact Point

European Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DEFIS)
https://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/defence-industry-and-space_en

DEFIS-EDF-PROPOSALS@EC.EUROPA.EU