THE HAGUE - This report provides an activity overview of the EU Innovation Hub for Internal Security in 2022.
The report was prepared by the Innovation Hub Team and is addressed to the COSI via the Innovation Hub’s Steering Group, both of which are invited to discuss and endorse it. This document is a retrospective report on the achievements of 2022; a description of the activities foreseen for the timeframe 2023-2026 can be found in a separate document called: EU Innovation Hub for Internal Security draft - Multi-annual planning of activities 2023-2026.
The Innovation Hub’s mandate
In line with the JHA Council outcome of October 2019, the EU Innovation Hub for Internal Security was established by the Council’s Standing Committee on Operational Cooperation on Internal Security (COSI) on 18 February 2020. The Innovation Hub is a collaborative network of innovation labs. It is a cross-sectorial EU platform aimed at ensuring coordination and collaboration between all actors of the wider field of internal security. It is supposed to support the delivery of innovative cutting-edge products for citizens’ security in the area of freedom, security and justice. The Innovation Hub should contribute to establishing a common innovation picture for internal security and promote the alignment of innovation and security research efforts across Europe.
The work of the Innovation Hub is delivered by the Hub Team, which serves as the operational arm of the Hub. It is composed of representatives from the Innovation Labs (or contact points) of the JHA Agencies European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL), European Agency for Asylum (EUAA) , European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems (eu-LISA), European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust), European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol), European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), together with the Commission (DG HOME and DG Joint Research Centre (JRC)), and the General Secretariat of the Council, including the Office of the EU Counter Terrorism Coordinator (EU CTC).
Innovation Hub Resources
The resources available for the work on the Innovation Hub in 2022 were very limited. The Innovation Hub Secretariat was composed of three (3) Europol staff members that were assigned to the Hub between 50 to 80% of their time. Additionally, to the above mentioned resources, there were two external representatives seconded to the Hub Secretariat in The Hague: liaison officer deployed by eu-LISA (80%) and SNE by the French Police (50%). As of May 2022, eu-LISA remained the only Agency that seconded a staff member to strengthen the Hub Secretariat, as requested by COSI in 2020.The activities and work described in this annual report could not have been accomplished without the contribution from the Hub Members who dedicated time to participate in the bi-weekly meetings, reviewing and providing comments to documents and reports produced by the Hub Secretariat.
Summary of 2022 work -Base Tasks
Despite the limitations the Innovation Hub had to face, in particular the lack of a dedicated budget and very limited human resources, the Hub has managed to accomplish various tasks identified by COSI and beyond. In 2022, the Hub Team focused its work on carrying out the work on the base tasks identified by COSI in May 2020 and continued working on its five pilot projects. The latter are described in the chapter 4.
For the full report, visit: https://www.europol.europa.eu/cms/sites/default/files/documents/Eu%20Innovation%20Hub%20Annual%20event%20report%202023.pdf
