Polish Horizon Europe Brokerage Visit Highlights

Innovate UK, in partnership with Polish National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR), British Embassy in Warsaw, and UK Science and Innovation Network in Poland took ten experts in the cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), and defence and security sectors to a two-day Brokerage Visit held in Warsaw on 13 – 14 November 2024.

“Innovate UK was thrilled to join forces with our Polish partners to explore what Horizon Europe projects partnerships will emerge following on from this trip as the UK and Poland work side by side to build a safe, secure future together.” – Kamran Choudhury, Knowledge Transfer Manager – European Programmes at Innovate UK Business Connect

This brokerage visit was organised to enable delegates from both the UK and Poland to share expertise, insights, foster collaboration, discuss and identify potential opportunities, and strengthen international partnerships for future Horizon Europe Research and Innovation (R&I) projects in areas including:

• Enhancing Cybersecurity including generative AI; combating cybercrime; and post-quantum technologies between the UK and Poland.
• Fighting Crime and Terrorism including prevention, detection, and deterrence; societal impacts   and modern forensics.
• Boosting Disaster Resilience including education and preparedness; operational management; and response to climate, geological, and CBRN events.

Horizon Europe Brokerage Visit Highlights

During this visit to Warsaw, here are some of the key findings and insights that emerged from the discussions:

• Trust and Transparency: Building confidence in new technologies is crucial. Stakeholders need transparency and open communication to enhance data sharing and foster collaboration.
• Data Sharing Challenges: There is an urgent need for structured frameworks that facilitate secure and efficient data sharing across sectors while maintaining privacy.
• Citizen Empowerment: Engaging citizens in crime prevention and disaster response is crucial. Awareness and education programs can empower individuals to act effectively during emergencies.
• Fragmentation of Solutions: The proliferation of standalone solutions creates inefficiencies. Integrating platforms that enable collaboration across agencies is vital.
• Regulatory Barriers: Complex regulations hinder innovation and the adoption of new technologies. A push for updated legal frameworks is necessary to encourage collaboration between public and private sectors.

Horizon Europe Brokerage Visit Next Steps

Moving forwards, the European team will explore how the UK and Poland can:

• Establish cross-sector collaborative working groups.
• Develop actionable frameworks for data sharing and citizen engagement.
• Invest in training programmes for both citizens and first responders.
• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of proposed solutions.

This Horizon Europe Brokerage Visit to Poland encapsulated the vital discussions and outlined a pathway towards a more resilient society capable of addressing the challenges in cyber security, crime prevention, and disaster resilience.

“Safe Citizens were delighted to take part in this visit to Warsaw. Horizon Europe has been a focus for us and being part of the trip strengthened our knowledge, connections, and opportunities greatly. We consider the visit to Poland a huge success for Safe Citizens and look forward to the benefits it will bring. A special thanks can go to the National Contact Points for organising such a strong UK-Poland delegation and facilitating some very useful workshops.” – Daniel de Wolf, Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer of Safe Citizens

Future Horizon Europe Brokerage Visits

For those working in the hydrogen, battery tech and smart manufacturing sectors, make sure to apply for our upcoming Horizon Europe Brokerage Visits to explore how your business can expand into new European markets.

Make sure to visit the Horizon Europe Hub to discover the global market opportunities and be part of the Horizon Europe ecosystem and showcase that you are #HereToCollaborate.