Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ENACT (European Network Against Crime and Terrorism)
Reporting period: 2023-09-01 to 2025-02-28
The security of European societies faces persistent and evolving threats from organised crime, terrorism, and related forms of violence and extremism. In response, the EU has invested significantly in research and innovation (R&I) in the field of Fight against Crime and Terrorism (FCT). However, the current R&I landscape remains fragmented. Knowledge generated across numerous projects and initiatives is often isolated, underexploited, or inaccessible to those who could benefit most, namely, law enforcement agencies (LEAs), policymakers, and practitioners on the ground.
At the same time, the pace of technological change presents both opportunities and challenges. New digital tools, data-driven solutions, and AI systems are emerging rapidly, but many remain unvalidated, poorly documented, or disconnected from operational needs. This creates a barrier between the supply of innovation and the real-world demand for practical, scalable, and ethically sound solutions in the security domain.
The ENACT (European Network Against Crime and Terrorism) project addresses these structural gaps by delivering a sustainable, structured, and service-oriented knowledge ecosystem for the FCT community. By creating the ENACT Knowledge-as-a-Service (KaaS) model, the project aims to enable better access to actionable knowledge, foster uptake of innovation, and support evidence-based policy and capability development.
ENACT’s overall objectives are to:
1. Enable a Europe-wide service that supports the R&I community, LEAs, and policymakers with timely, structured, and usable knowledge;
2. Catalogue and synthesise existing knowledge (technological, operational, legal, and ethical) to identify gaps, overlaps, and opportunities in the FCT domain;
3. Promote innovation uptake by connecting R&I outputs to operational needs and validation environments;
4. Strengthen cooperation between key actors, including LEAs, research institutions, industry, and EU agencies;
5. Ensure long-term sustainability of the ENACT service and its integration into European security research policy frameworks.
ENACT’s expected impacts are twofold: operational and strategic. Operationally, the project will promote uptake by practitioners of better tools to access and apply knowledge, improve their understanding of the technology landscape, and engage more effectively with innovation. Strategically, ENACT will enhance the effectiveness of EU R&I investments by making outputs visible, reusable, and aligned with real-world priorities.
In doing so, ENACT contributes directly to the goals of the EU Security Union Strategy and the Horizon Europe Civil Security for Society programme, supporting a more secure, resilient, and knowledge-driven approach to fighting crime and terrorism in Europe.
At the same time, the pace of technological change presents both opportunities and challenges. New digital tools, data-driven solutions, and AI systems are emerging rapidly, but many remain unvalidated, poorly documented, or disconnected from operational needs. This creates a barrier between the supply of innovation and the real-world demand for practical, scalable, and ethically sound solutions in the security domain.
The ENACT (European Network Against Crime and Terrorism) project addresses these structural gaps by delivering a sustainable, structured, and service-oriented knowledge ecosystem for the FCT community. By creating the ENACT Knowledge-as-a-Service (KaaS) model, the project aims to enable better access to actionable knowledge, foster uptake of innovation, and support evidence-based policy and capability development.
ENACT’s overall objectives are to:
1. Enable a Europe-wide service that supports the R&I community, LEAs, and policymakers with timely, structured, and usable knowledge;
2. Catalogue and synthesise existing knowledge (technological, operational, legal, and ethical) to identify gaps, overlaps, and opportunities in the FCT domain;
3. Promote innovation uptake by connecting R&I outputs to operational needs and validation environments;
4. Strengthen cooperation between key actors, including LEAs, research institutions, industry, and EU agencies;
5. Ensure long-term sustainability of the ENACT service and its integration into European security research policy frameworks.
ENACT’s expected impacts are twofold: operational and strategic. Operationally, the project will promote uptake by practitioners of better tools to access and apply knowledge, improve their understanding of the technology landscape, and engage more effectively with innovation. Strategically, ENACT will enhance the effectiveness of EU R&I investments by making outputs visible, reusable, and aligned with real-world priorities.
In doing so, ENACT contributes directly to the goals of the EU Security Union Strategy and the Horizon Europe Civil Security for Society programme, supporting a more secure, resilient, and knowledge-driven approach to fighting crime and terrorism in Europe.
During the first 18 months of the ENACT project, substantial progress was made in establishing the technical foundations of the ENACT KaaS model and delivering key components to support knowledge generation, structuring, and validation in the field of FCT:
1. Fully operational Knowledge Repository with over 1,100 structured items;
2. Four functional observatories with standardised outputs and classification tools;
3. Over 1,000 FCT stakeholders mapped and categorised;
4. Methodological framework and taxonomies validated and applied across WPs;
5. Early uptake mechanisms initiated.
1. Fully operational Knowledge Repository with over 1,100 structured items;
2. Four functional observatories with standardised outputs and classification tools;
3. Over 1,000 FCT stakeholders mapped and categorised;
4. Methodological framework and taxonomies validated and applied across WPs;
5. Early uptake mechanisms initiated.
Unlike previous projects, ENACT introduces a permanent, structured Knowledge Repository, not only collecting results from EU-funded projects but classifying them using a cross-cutting taxonomy that integrates policy, operational functions, and technologies. This structured, reusable classification model is novel and enables systemic mapping of knowledge gaps and overlaps across the entire FCT ecosystem.
ENACT is also the first initiative to operationalise this structured knowledge model through four parallel observatories, producing actionable insights (e.g. Flash Knowledge Reports, stakeholder maps) with standardised methods, curated content, and continuous monitoring. These outputs enable data-driven planning and decision-making, which is still limited in many security policy and procurement processes.
Furthermore, the Support to 3rd Parties mechanism represents an innovative uptake approach: identifying promising but underused solutions and preparing them for validation in operational environments. This addresses a well-known gap between R&I outputs and end-user adoption that remains largely unfilled by traditional funding schemes.
In sum, ENACT’s results go beyond the state of the art by delivering a systemic, service-oriented and validated approach to knowledge sharing, capability development, and innovation uptake in the EU security domain.
ENACT is also the first initiative to operationalise this structured knowledge model through four parallel observatories, producing actionable insights (e.g. Flash Knowledge Reports, stakeholder maps) with standardised methods, curated content, and continuous monitoring. These outputs enable data-driven planning and decision-making, which is still limited in many security policy and procurement processes.
Furthermore, the Support to 3rd Parties mechanism represents an innovative uptake approach: identifying promising but underused solutions and preparing them for validation in operational environments. This addresses a well-known gap between R&I outputs and end-user adoption that remains largely unfilled by traditional funding schemes.
In sum, ENACT’s results go beyond the state of the art by delivering a systemic, service-oriented and validated approach to knowledge sharing, capability development, and innovation uptake in the EU security domain.