Science in Service of Security
The Insider, Season 3, Episode 1 Special Series with JRC “Science in Service of Security” Europe does not lack scientific knowledge. Nor does it lack technology, research infrastructures or expertise. On 10 September, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre opens its new Security Research & Innovation Campus in Ispra, bringing together existing and new laboratories and creating a framework for researchers, practitioners, Member States, EU agencies and companies to work more closely around real operational needs. The Campus is at the centre of the opening episode of Season 3 of The Insider and the first in our new INESC × JRC special series, developed with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. Ricardo Miguéis, Head of the INESC Brussels HUB, is joined by Dr Georgios Giannopoulos, Acting Director of the JRC’s Societal Resilience and Security Directorate, to look at what the Campus is being created to do and at some of the wider European challenges behind it. Because having scientific and technological capabilities is not the same as being able to use them effectively across Europe. In a Union of 27 Member States, different priorities, approaches and standards can make that more difficult. The conversation looks at the fragmentation of knowledge, solutions and approaches across Europe, the time it can take research to reach operational use, and the role that common standards, shared scientific approaches and stronger links between existing capabilities could play. From fragmentation to implementation One of the problems explored in the episode is familiar across European research: even when a promising technology exists, getting it into operational use can take too long. Funding, testing infrastructure and access to the right users do not always come together quickly enough, and technologies can risk becoming obsolete before they are deployed. But the conversation adds another layer to that problem. In Europe, implementation also has to work across 27 Member States. Dr. Giannopoulos gives a concrete example from quantum technologies. If a company develops a device but faces different testing and certification requirements in different countries, the cost of reaching the European market can become prohibitive. A common approach could instead allow a product to be tested once and used across European markets. For Giannopoulos, this is not simply a technical question. It is also about making the internal market work. This is where the Campus takes on a wider meaning. Common standards, shared scientific approaches and trusted testing facilities cannot remove every difference between Member States, but they can reduce unnecessary duplication and make it easier for research and technology to move across national boundaries. Security, technology and a more connected Europe The conversation moves across the Campus’ different areas of work, from border and crisis management to internal and nuclear security, defence, space and secure connectivity. But Giannopoulos is clear that these are not intended to become six new silos. The challenge is precisely the opposite: understanding security as an increasingly interconnected landscape, where risks and the technologies used to address them do not necessarily sit within one domain. The discussion also looks at the particular role of the JRC. Unlike a conventional university or national research laboratory, its purpose is to provide independent scientific evidence and advice throughout the European policymaking cycle. That position can also make it a neutral scientific reference point, working across Member States rather than from within a single national system.
