AutoBorder focuses on developing and implementing innovative solutions for border checks specifically designed for vehicles. The approach leverages cutting-edge technologies, including advanced biometrics and in-car sensors integrated with the car's Infotainment and Control Electronics (ICE) system, to streamline the border-crossing process. By utilizing Digital Travel Credentials (DTCs) and pre-registration systems, the project aims to enhance security while significantly reducing waiting times at land borders. Beyond border checks, the technology enhances passenger security through identity monitoring, real-time alerts for unauthorized access, and predictive analytics for threat detection. This dual-purpose approach improves identity verification and passenger safety during travel, advancing security and connectivity across Europe. Leading actors in several relevant fields actively participate in the project, including biometrics and security experts, car manufacturers and researchers. The project builds on prior EU initiatives (e.g., SMILE, D4FLY, EINSTEIN) and, as a RIA project, targets a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 5–6 for most components, with some at TRL4. Validation and demonstration will occur in relevant environments, not connected to actual border systems. Solutions must comply with GDPR, the AI Act, EU travel regulations, and other legal and ethical standards. A dedicated legal/ethical partner will ensure compliance, while social aspects like acceptance and human rights will be addressed. End-user involvement is critical, providing feedback to align solutions with practical needs and enabling pilot demonstrations and validations. AutoBorder involves several EU and non-EU end-users, and has foreseen pilot studies at 2 external EU BCPs (UK-France and Moldova - Romania)

Artificial intelligence (AI) has lately proved to be a coin with two sides. On the one hand, it can be leveraged as a powerful defensive mechanism to improve system preparedness and response against cyber incidents and attacks, and on the other hand, it can be a formidable weapon attackers can use to damage, compromise or manipulate systems. AI4CYBER ambitions to provide an Ecosystem Framework of next-generation trustworthy cybersecurity services that leverage AI and Big Data technologies to support system developers and operators in effectively managing robustness, resilience, and dynamic response against advanced and AI-powered cyberattacks. The project will deliver a new breed of AI-driven software robustness and security testing services that significantly facilitates the testing experts work, through smarter flaw identification and code fixing automation. Moreover, the project will provide cybersecurity services for comprehension, detection and analysis of AI-powered attacks to prepare the critical systems to be resilient against them. Incident response support by AI4CYBER will offload security operators from complex and tedious tasks offering them mechanisms to optimize the orchestration of the most appropriate combination of security protections, and continuously learn from system status and defences’ efficiency. The AI4CYBER framework will ensure fundamental rights and values-based AI technology in its services, through the integration of demonstrable explainability, fairness and technology robustness (security) capabilities in the AI4CYBER components. The ecosystem will be validated in three scenarios: i) Detection and Mitigation of AI-powered Attacks against the Energy Sector, ii) Robustness and autonomous adaptation of Banking applications to face AI-powered attacks and iii) Resilient hospital services against advanced and AI-powered cyber-physical attacks.

VANGUARD aims to strengthen the fight against trafficking in human beings (THB) at the nexus of advanced technological solutions, understanding, awareness raising, and training in order to disrupt the trafficking chain at an early stage and address the culture of impunity. In particular, VANGUARD aims to provide an improved intelligence picture of THB, with particular focus on THB for purposes of sexual exploitation, labour exploitation, and forced criminality. This will be achieved through developing a modular and trustworthy suite of tools for detecting, identifying, investigating, and preventing online-facilitated THB activities and THB-related activities at (border) checkpoints based on the analysis of online multimedia content and multimodal streams, by leveraging the latest advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI). It will also address the societal dimensions of THB through improved understanding and engagement with relevant actors, improved strategies of international cooperation, increased awareness, and better evidence-based policymaking. The capacity of end users (including Police and Border Guard Authorities) will be further enhanced and will enable them to tackle such criminal activities in an effective manner based on advanced tools and solutions and on innovative training curricula. VANGUARD will be validated in field tests and demonstrations in three operational use cases. Extensive training, hands-on experience, joint exercises, and training material will boost the uptake of VANGUARD tools and technologies. With a Consortium of seven Police and Border Guard Authorities (including from countries of origin and transit of THB networks and countries neighbouring Ukraine), one Police Academy, eight research/academic institutions, four industry partners (including two SMEs), and two CSOs, VANGUARD delivers a strong representation of the challenges, requirements, and tools to meet its objectives.