Security-Driven Rapid Prototyping and Innovation Pipeline for Civil Security

The project aims to establish a structured, demand-driven rapid prototyping and innovation pipeline dedicated to civil security challenges in Europe.

Instead of developing a single standalone technology, the initiative creates a systematic and repeatable mechanism capable of generating multiple functional digital security prototypes within short development cycles, validating them in real operational environments, and preparing the most promising solutions for pilot deployment and further scale-up under Horizon Europe.

The concept is strongly aligned with Horizon Europe Cluster 3 – Strengthened Security Research and Innovation (SSRI), particularly the open topics supporting disruptive and demand-led innovation in civil security. The pipeline integrates applied research outputs, user-centred design, AI-supported development tools and early operational validation, enabling faster translation of research results into usable security solutions.

The project foresees close cooperation between research organisations, public authorities, innovation clusters and SMEs. Research partners contribute domain knowledge and technological expertise, while public sector actors provide real operational challenges and pilot environments. Innovation clusters coordinate the ecosystem, support consortium building, manage pilots and lead dissemination, exploitation and impact-oriented activities.

Key application areas include cybersecurity of public digital services, protection of critical and urban digital infrastructures, digital tools for civil preparedness, and education and awareness solutions related to societal resilience. The initiative is designed as a repeatable and scalable mechanism, capable of supporting multiple Horizon Europe proposals and future innovation uptake, including pathways towards innovation procurement and commercialisation.

We aim to identify complementary partners interested in jointly preparing a Horizon Europe Cluster 3 proposal targeting SSRI open calls, with a balanced consortium structure and a clear focus on real-world impact