July 11, 2022
The popAI project attended the Projects to Policy Seminar (PPS), an event organised in Brussels by DG HOME and REA C2 unit. NCSR D as popAI’s Project Coordinator was responsible for project management, governance and quality control. The two-day event (30 June – 1 July) gathered 45 projects funded under the Secure Societies Call 2020, as well as policymakers of the European Commission (DGs HOME, ECHO, ENV, SANTE, ENER, TAXUD, etc.) and EU Agencies (EUROPOL, eu-LISA, CEPOL, etc.).
Invited popAI representatives on-site included Project Coordinator Dimitris Kyriazanos (NCSR Demokritos) and Dissemination WP leader Paola Fratantoni (Zanasi & Partners).
The overarching objective of the seminar was to establish a two-way communication between the projects and relevant Commission services. The intention was, indeed, to support both policymakers in getting a more comprehensive and precise understanding of the newly funded research projects and to help projects understand how they can best contribute to the implementation of related policies.
The rationale behind the idea was to ensure that the outcomes and deliverables of the project can truly support the policy-making process and avoid that research remains just a policy recommendation “forgotten in a drawer”. Moreover, the seminar represented an excellent opportunity for projects to strengthen synergies, share experiences and enlarge networks.
The first day of the seminar was chiefly dedicated to discussions and panels among projects belonging to the same topic area (e.g. artificial intelligence, fighting crime and terrorism, disaster resilience, etc.) with some plenary sessions to wrap up the main findings from each group. The second day dedicated more time to dissemination and communication activities, with insights from the EC representatives and exchanges of opinions and methods, thus aiming to improve the efficacy and effectiveness of the C&D activities within security research projects.
popAI joined and contributed to discussions of high policy relevance for AI in Law Enforcement and with impact to the EU AI act together with cluster projects and EU policymakers from relevant DGs, EU-agencies and institutions.
popAI project coordinator Dr. Kyriazanos, NCSR Demokritos and Mrs. Fratantoni, Zanasi & Partners
Presentations during the event
Sibling projects popAI, ALIGNER and STARLIGHT met at the event in Brussels
