Open topic for role of the human factor for the resilience of critical infrastructures

Expected Outcome:

Projects’ results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following outcomes:

• Critical infrastructure is more resilient to natural hazards, intentional and accidental harmful human actions, including cyber attacks;
• Infrastructure operators and authorities have better understanding of human factor for the critical entities resilience;
• Infrastructure operators and authorities have access to improved risk and threat assessment, and forecast;
• Infrastructure operators and authorities have access to increased post-incident investigation capabilities contributing to better crisis prevention;
• Insider threats are effectively tackled, including through innovative, cost-efficient systems for background checks that are in full compliance with privacy;
• Training curricula for infrastructure operators, authorities and/or first responders are developed.

Scope:

Under this open topic, proposals are invited to address new challenges, and/or develop innovative solutions or strengthen capabilities to tackle existing challenges taking into account the human factor, for the benefit of resilience of critical infrastructures. The emphasis of the proposals should be on the human dependant abilities of critical infrastructure to cope with an adverse event, including their capacity to prepare for the crisis, absorb the impact, reduce the recovery time, and adapt by reducing future exposure and vulnerabilities.

To ensure the active involvement of, and timely feedback from relevant security practitioners, proposals should plan a mid-term deliverable consisting in the assessment, performed by the practitioners involved in the project, of the project’s mid-term outcomes.

Activities proposed within this topic should address both technological and societal dimensions of the tackled challenge in a balanced way. 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 related research and innovation activities.

Coordination among the successful proposals from this topic should be envisaged in order to avoid duplication, exploit complementarities, and use opportunities for increased impact. Similarly, coordination with projects funded under HORIZON-CL3-2025-INFRA-01-01: Open topic for improved preparedness for, response to and recovery from large-scale disruptions of European infrastructure.