Project description
Artificial intelligence meets cybersecurity
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes omnipresent, even integrated within secure software development, the safety of digital infrastructures requires new technologies and new methodologies, as highlighted in the EU Strategic Plan 2021-2024. To achieve this goal, the EU-funded Sec4AI4Sec project will develop advanced security-by-design testing and assurance techniques tailored for AI-augmented systems. These systems can democratise security expertise, enabling intelligent, automated secure coding and testing while simultaneously lowering development costs and improving software quality. However, they also introduce unique security challenges, particularly concerning fairness and explainability. Sec4AI4Sec is at the forefront of the move to tackle these challenges with a comprehensive approach, embodying the vision of better security for AI and better AI for security.
Objective
With AI-enhanced components being deployed everywhere, including the very toolchains used for secure software development, the traditional security focus on software and hardware assets can no longer guarantee secure services, processes and products, [and] digital infrastructures in the EU Strategic Plan 2021-2024.
Sec4AI4Sec wants to develop security-by-design testing and assurance techniques for AI-augmented systems, their software and AI assets. AI-augment systems provide an opportunity to democratize security expertise and give access to intelligent, automated secure coding and testing, by enabling novel capabilities, lowering development costs and increasing software quality (AI4Sec). They are also a risk: AI-augmented systems are vulnerable to new security technical threats specific to AI-based software, in particular where matters of fairness or explainability are important (Sec4AI). Sec4AI4Sec addresses these challenges to the fullest extent: AI for better security, security for better AI.
The Sec4AI4Sec project will address these two facets of AI to achieve a deep scientific, economic and technological impact, while contributing to addressing key societal issues. It will validate its approach on three key scenarios of the EU Digital Compass towards Digital Sovereignty: 5G core virtualization, Autonomy for safety systems in aviation and security and Quality for 3rd party software assessment and certification.
Sec4AI4Sec assembled a team with 5 leading Universities (Amsterdam, Cagliari, Hamburg, Lugano, Trento), 2 innovative SMEs (FrontEndART, Pluribus One), 3 Large Enterprises (Airbus, SAP, Thales) and 1 Center for digital innovation (Cefriel). The project will generate a set of innovative techniques and open-source tools, new methodologies for secure design and certification of AI-augmented systems, as well as reference benchmarks that can be used to standardize the assessment of research results in the secure software research community.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering information engineering telecommunications telecommunications networks mobile network 5G
- natural sciences computer and information sciences software software development
- engineering and technology mechanical engineering vehicle engineering aerospace engineering aeronautical engineering
- natural sciences computer and information sciences artificial intelligence machine learning
- natural sciences computer and information sciences computer security
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.2.3 - Civil Security for Society
MAIN PROGRAMME
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HORIZON.2.3.3 - Cybersecurity
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL3-2022-CS-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
38122 Trento
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.