FIRE project

Introduction

FIRE is a Coordination and Support Action project under Call FP7-ICT-2011-8 of the ICT Work Program 2011/12. It is aimed at Challenge 1: Pervasive and Trusted Network and Service Infrastructures, specifically at Objective ICT-2011.1.4: Trustworthy ICT, and addresses that Objective’s Target Outcome (d): (i) stimulating and organizing the interplay between technology development and legal, social and economic research through multi-disciplinary research communities; (ii) promoting standard, certification and best practices; (iii) coordination of national RTD activities.

FIRE is a collaboration between leading clusters and associations of Information Security companies in Spain, UK, Germany, Belgium, Czech Republic and Estonia, covering six major parts of Europe.

Executive Summary

The acronym FIRE is an abbreviation of “Facilitate Industry and Research in Europe”. The objective of FIRE is to improve the European industrial competitiveness in markets of trustworthy ICT, by taking account of the needs of the Security industry in this domain building on the unique combination of the participating international clusters in information security technologies.

FIRE aims to reduce the gap between industry and research in Europe, organize activities that reduce the fragmentation in the information security industry itself, and support in coordinating the European Trustworthy ICT research by linking researchers with the needs of the industry and finally raising the European industrial competitiveness in the markets of trustworthy ICT.

For IT Industrial and Commercial organisations, FIRE intends to offer:

• Involvement of key organisations who wish to participate in shaping the European and National Trustworthy ICT research agenda to help shape it best address their needs.  The EU has an annual budget for ICT research.  In 2013 it will be committing €36.5M specifically to Trustworthy ICT and a further €308.5 to the wider Pervasive and Trusted Network and Service Infrastructure topic.  The European Commission has a strong desire to see increased benefit to their industrial and commercial...

Activities and Results

The FIRE consortium will have the following activities:

1. Identify (IT Security) Industry Needs and Research Activities and End-user Needs
   1. Identify IT Security Industry roadmaps and research challenges
   2. Identify IT Security Industry research groups and activities
   3. Identify IT security challenges faced by Trustworthy ICT users
   4. Obtain Industry needs to inform the development of cluster research strategies
2. Develop Pan-EU ICT Security Cluster Research Network and Strategy
   1. Data collection using Cluster Steering Committees
   2. Cluster Research Analysis
   3. Analyse trans-Cluster complementarities and gaps
   4. Build joint inventory/ database
3. Co-ordinate National RTD activities
   1. Exchange information on National and EU RTD programmes and activities in Major ICT Security Clusters and the MS they represent to identify synergies and topics for potential pan Cluster RTD collaboration
   2. Stimulate RTD collaboration between clusters in topics/ themes of strategic importance
   3. Analyse cluster strategies and identify common challenges/ barriers (technology/ economic/ social/ legal) to achieving cluster goals
   4. Develop common cluster strategy/ research agenda/ roadmaps to address common challenges and common strategic goals
   ...

Key Partner Associations and Associated Clusters

The Key Partners are IT Security Associations in Belgium, Estonia, Germany, Spain and UK, and represent:

• World-class research institutes and universities, e.g. Fraunhofer Institutes, AIT, KU Leuven, Queen's University of Belfast, CNRS, Universidad de Málaga
• Global and European industrial members, e.g. SAP, HP, EMC/RSA, IBM, McAfee, Symantec, Checkpoint, Panda, Indra, Sophos, Vasco Data Security, etc.
• Government agencies, end-users and funding bodies, e.g. UK Home Office, INTECO, BSI, …
• SMEs (over 1000)
• Legal and privacy experts
• Technical experts who are driving national and European research agendas, e.g. Bart Preneel (LSEC/KU Leuven) who is a Board Member of RISEPTIS, Dr. Norbert Pohlman (TeleTrusT/University of Applied Sciences Gelsenkirchen) who has been a member of the permanent stakeholder group of ENISA for many years.

The Partners will facilitate engagement with the FIRE project in two ways:

• They provide a regional focus for organisations in their own Member States
• They are providing leadership and facilitation in the pan-European business Sectors identified by the FIRE project as described below.

European Cluster Partners – Non Project Partners

A cluster is an independent association - a specific legal entity – or a group of companies and...

Invitation to join, get recognised and use results

Whether you are an end user, a manager, a researcher or a member of an IT security services company or organization, FIRE will be able to provide you with useful information and insights on the development of the IT Security (Trustworthy ICT) market in Europe.

Other European clusters are cordially invited to join the partnership and use the results for their respective membership.

Other information sharing and research projects are welcomed to promote their activities to our networks and to use the research results of FIRE in their interest groups.

Policy makers are welcome to use the research results to support their views and help coordinate local research agendas.

For more information or getting in touch, please contact:

Southern Europe : Spain, Italy, Portugal,                                                                   ametic@trustworthyictonfire.com