Security research technologies driven by active civil society engagement: transdisciplinary methods for societal impact assessment and impact creation
Applied research derives its meaning, and therefore, its financial justification from its relevance to society, to society’s needs, to society’s values, to its aims, needs or ambitions. Applied research presupposes that a distinct societal need is identified and that a programme of research is devised to provide the concrete knowledge required to meet that need as well as to better understand areas related to experience and requirements of technologies regarding vulnerable groups through universal design and common accessibility principles.
The finality and value of applied research is assessed on the grounds of this relevance, on the degree to which the results of the research can be applied to one or several problems beyond or after the research itself. The salience and value of any type of applied research – including security research – lies outside the research itself and in its impact on society.
In general, research can have an impact on society at two different points: at the level of the scientific methodology that employs and at the level of the scientific outputs that generates and communicates. Any action can have desirable and undesirable outcomes. Undesired results of security research can include both the results of research that does not reach its intended aims or research that does not reach its aims, but whose aims do not provide the security it originally set out to provide. Significantly, it can include particular measures that have as a secondary effect an increase in insecurity such as the development of technological solutions.
In innovation processes and advances of technological change, the societal aspect covers all those areas that influence the citizen, society and the state. This can range from privacy issues and confidentiality to the use of products and services, the potential for misuse of information and data, fake news, security marking, secure infrastructure etc.
Technological solutions in the area of civil security for society are often perceived as intrusive means to intensify and broaden surveillance and control of citizens in a top-down approach. Security technology is addressed with mistrust as regards to its detrimental effects on civil liberties and raises questions on fundamental rights and freedoms, privacy and data protection. Nevertheless, a wide variety of technological tools is available in different languages for different risk scenarios and with different functionalities. At the same time, technology can also be applied to increase societal resilience, improve and strengthen horizontal coordination, raise citizens’ awareness and facilitate exchange of information among citizens in crisis’ situations, disasters or pandemic risk incidents. Strengthening a co-productive use of technology to enhance societal resilience requires a better understanding of inclusive design, crowd-based, and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)-enabling horizontal communication processes.
A systemic stock of such technologies, including an evidence-based assessment of the number of users in Europe and an evaluation of their impact in past human life disasters or crisis management incidents can help to improve the societal acceptability, directionality, desirability and ethicalness of security research and innovation. A societal development plan that examines the socio, economic, political context, which might have caused the security problems, can also help to learn from past-experiences. Demonstrating awareness of the risks that potentially build biases into automated systems would be important to identify best solutions for relevant functionalities and pave the way for a coordinated European approach, which strikes the right balance between practitioners’ technology requirements and privacy-friendly tools and solutions for the citizens. Furthermore, improved knowledge of relevant human and societal factors in order to assist, supplement or override human misjudgement, lack of compliance or understanding through education and training modules can better achieve the desired impacts on attitude and behaviour change creating resilience to security threats.
In assessing the impact of security technologies, proposals are expected to examine methodologies that allow citizens genuine participation, including the vulnerable groups and people with disabilities in innovation processes. A socio-technical approach can enhance the ambition and effectiveness of innovations by inspiring socially acceptable design for systematic change and societal transformation. They should look into methodologies that measure the impact of technologies on society by addressing issues of: what can be measured (qualitative and quantitative measurements); why it is important to measure; what is important to measure both from policy and technology aspects and how societal impact can be measured (qualitative and quantitative measurements), including evidence about cognitive biases.
Proposals should also address mitigation measures that could be taken to reduce the impact on privacy, human rights and fundamental freedoms with the involvement of citizens as co-designers and beneficiaries in security research. When assessing impact, attention should also be paid to citizens’ training for reducing negative effects, modelling and simulation of their behaviour in the event of security threats. This may include virtual assessment of different protection (prevention, preparedness and response) measures.
Proposals’ consortia should comprehend security practitioners, system developers, public sector, technology and civil society organisations[[A civil society organisation can be defined: “any legal entity that is non-governmental, non-profit, not representing commercial interests and pursuing a common purpose in the public interest”. https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/support/reference_terms.html; Check also the study “Network Analysis of Civil Society Organisations’ participation in the EU Framework Programmes”, December 2016.]], communication specialists on security research, researchers and Social Sciences and Humanities Experts from a variety of EU Member States and Associated Countries. In order to ensure a meaningful democratic oversight of the EU’s security research programme, projects and policies at national and European level, proposals should ensure a multidisciplinary approach and have the appropriate balance of industry, citizens’ representatives and social sciences and humanities experts.
Project proposals’ consortia are encouraged to cooperate closely with the Networks of Practitioners funded under H2020 Secure Societies work programmes if valuable results on impact can be obtained, as well as with the Knowledge Networks for Research and Innovation in Security funded under the Horizon Europe Cluster 3 Work Programme.
As indicated in the introduction of this call, proposals should foresee resources for clustering activities with other successful proposals in the same or other calls to identify synergies and best practices.
This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities.
Proposals could also be linked to finished or ongoing projects such as the NewHoRRizon (under the H2020 Research and Innovation Programme) which have developed Societal Readiness Level Tools. They may also consider using their interactive web tools provided to help study the societal input and engagement as part of project proposal development and implementation.
The project should have a maximum estimated duration of 4 years.