The purpose of the SecurIST project is to deliver a Strategic Research Agenda for ICT Security and Dependability R&D for Europe. It will do this through meeting the following objectives:
- Establish and Co-ordinate a European ICT Security & Dependability Taskforce
- Drive the creation of an "ICT Security & Dependability Research strategy beyond 2010"
- Leverage the knowledge base of existing/future ICT Security and Dependability researchers and projects

The Strategic Research Agenda to be developed by the Security taskforce will elaborate the ICT Security & Dependability Research strategy beyond 2010. It will provide Europe with a clear European level view of the strategic opportunities, strengths, weakness, and threats in the area of Security and Dependability. It will identify priorities for Europe, and mechanisms to effectively focus efforts on those priorities, identifying instruments for delivering on those priorities and a coherent time frame for delivery.

Through the use of thematic areas, the project will leverage the knowledge base of projects and people already engaged in Security & Dependability R&D. The thematic areas will enable projects to address how their research activity will contribute to higher level issues, and to the elaboration of the Strategic Research Agenda. All this will be achieved this through the efforts of a European ICT Security & Dependability Taskforce.

This taskforce will be constituted and co-ordinated through the SecurIST project which will act as the Secretariat and Steering committee of the Taskforce. A core taskforce of 20-25 key player/influencer is complemented by a wider taskforce of 200- 400 providing the basis for the structured emergence of a 'European Technology Platform' in ICT Security and Dependability in FP7 .