I527-290 ESRIF Final Report (WEB).indd - European Commission

9.3.2.1 European Security Technological and Industrial Base (STIB)
For the strengthening of its security structures and infrastructures, Europe can rely on strong in-house technological and
industrial competences. These competences cover a very wide range of research, technology, development, manufacturing
and service expertise, including very specifi c detailed areas, such as biotechnology and biosensors as well as very generic
domains, such as technology and systems integration, interoperable communications, C4ISR, etc. Also the technological and
industrial landscape displays a large variety and geometry, covering SMEs as well as large multi-nationals, basic research in
technical universities as well as in service support companies, regional/national expertise and more established, integrated
European networks of excellence, etc.
In order to understand and value the European Security Technological and Industrial Base (STIB) and to take targeted action to
reinforce and strengthen its potential, it is an important fi rst step to map these competences, covering all relevant technology,
system and service areas, all types of technical and industrial players and all EU-27 Member States. Such a mapping will allow
the identifi cation of the strengths and weaknesses of the STIB and will support the policy makers in defi ning the research,
technology and development priorities of the EU, strengthening its technological capacity, and developing new competences
where deemed necessary for the security interests of the EU and the Member States.
9.3.2.2 Innovation ecosystems
The competences of the STIB should not be considered in isolation. A broader value lies in pooling and clustering
these competences to maximize the synergy, complementarity and cross-fertilization between diff erent technologies,
stakeholders and services.
Networking brings important competitive strengths for business. It helps to close the gap between business, research
and resources and as such brings knowledge faster to the market. Successful networks, such as ENFISI (European Network
of Forensic Science Institutes), EURAMET (European Regional Metrology Organization) and GMOSS (Global Monitoring for
Security and Stability) enhance productivity, attract investment, promote research, strengthen the industrial base, and develop
specifi c products or services and become a focus for developing skills.
But for highly demand-driven sectors as security, it is not suffi cient to just bring the knowledge community together. The
knowledge triangle must be structured around a strong interaction between supply and demand. The end-users of the
security solutions in the fi eld must be engaged in the innovation process; they must steer and drive it, to ensure that the
security solutions are adequately tailored to their specifi c needs.
Innovation ecosystems encompass more than knowledge inputs. They incorporate all relevant factors and stakeholders
that generate value to customers. They enable participants to work across enterprise boundaries, focus on customer value
creation, respond quickly to shifts in market demand, accelerate the transition from research to production and be more
adaptive to change.
Important in this context is the recent inauguration of the European Institute of Technology and Innovation (EIT). EIT is an
integrated partnership of science, business and education, embodying excellence in all of its initiatives. It is intended to be a key
driver and a new model for innovation in strategic interdisciplinary areas, where there is the potential to generate innovative
solutions and commercial advantages with a major impact on Europe’s competitiveness. Its mission is to grow and capitalise
on the innovation capacity and capability of actors from higher education, research, business and entrepreneurship from the
EU and beyond through the creation of highly integrated Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs). The development
of specifi c KICs for dedicated security-related domains may be a stimulus for innovation in the emerging security market.
9.3.2.3 Technology Platform / Joint Technology Initiative “security”
In order to ensure a systematic and consistent approach to security research and innovation fully serving the ESRIF objectives,
ESRIF WG 9 believes that there is a need for a transparent mechanism dedicated to the ESRIA and at the level of the
implementation of the ESRIA, as well as for the monitoring and updating of the ESRIA taking into account the progress and
changing priorities. ESRIF WG 9 is convinced that the concept of the European technology platforms and the Joint Technology
Initiatives are useful instruments to serve this purpose.
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