Programme Category
Programme Name
Programme Description
Horizon Europe is the European Union (EU) funding programme for the period 2021 – 2027, which targets the sectors of research and innovation. The programme’s budget is around € 95.5 billion, of which € 5.4 billion is from NextGenerationEU to stimulate recovery and strengthen the EU’s resilience in the future, and € 4.5 billion is additional aid.
Identifier Code
Call
Summary
The number of different tools for the surveillance of public spaces has been growing at massive pace in most European cities. CCTV-systems in public spaces are the most evident examples. They have been expanded in terms of quantity (number of CCTV in public spaces, such as squares, streets or touristic sites), quality (improved solution of images, possibility of tracking and automatic pattern-recognition) and also scope (CCTV present in areas like parks, 24/7 recording as standard due to higher data storage capacities).
Detailed Call Description
Acoustic sensors, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and in the future possibly widespread facial recognition add to a system of sensors that cover large parts of public spaces in many European cities.
Such tools can help to combat certain forms of crime an increase the perceived security of citizens, the significant expansion of areas that are monitored risks to create negative effects for the right for privacy.
In terms of crime prevention there are indications that for many settings, sensors like CCTV are in the best case only part of a solution and they can create a tendency of reducing personnel on the ground, thus limiting the possibilities for classical policing and reducing the direct interaction between local police and public order services and the citizens. Such interaction is however key to address crime prevention and response to criminal threats in a holistic manner.
While significant industry and research resources are invested in the design of new and the upgrading of existing surveillance systems for public spaces, innovation could be stimulated to look for alternatives. Such alternative could identify means to protect public spaces though enhanced interaction with local communities, re-design sensors as to ensure they capture data in the most proportionate way, increase transparency for citizens towards public and private operators of surveillance systems and finally explore privacy-friendly technological features to ensure that only relevant data is kept, processed and accessible by authorised actors.
Responsible Research and Innovation could be a relevant approach for the involvement of diverse stakeholders, launching debates, and co-developing or even implementing solutions.
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
100%
Expected EU contribution: €3 million
Thematic Categories
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
- Social Affairs & Human Rights
Eligibility for Participation
- Central Government
- Local Authorities
- State-owned Enterprises
Eligibility For Participation Notes
This topic requires the active involvement, as beneficiaries, of at least 3 Police Authorities from at least 3 different EU Member States or Associated countries. For these participants, applicants must fill in the table “Eligibility information about practitioners” in the application form with all the requested information, following the template provided in the submission IT tool.
If projects use satellite-based, positioning, navigation and/or related timing data and services, beneficiaries must make use of Galileo/EGNOS.
Some activities, resulting from this topic, may involve using classified background and/or producing of security sensitive results (EUCI and SEN).
(Further details in the work programme)
Call Opening Date
Call Closing Date
National Contact Point(s)
Research and Innovation Foundation
29a Andrea Michalakopoulou, 1075 Nicosia
P.O.Box 23422, 1683 Nicosia
Phone Number: +357 22205000
Email Address: support@research.org.cy
Website: https://www.research.org.cy/en/
Contact Persons:
Dr. Ioannis Theodorou
Scientific Officer
Contact Phone: +357 22 20 50 38
Contact Email: itheodorou@research.org.cy
Christakis Theocharous
Scientific Officer A’
Contact Phone: +357 22 20 50 29
Contact Email: ctheocharous@research.org.cy
EU Contact Point
European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation
https://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/research-and-innovation_en#contact