The heinous russia’s invasion of Ukraine has served as a wake-up call for Europe, pushing the need to enhance both defense capabilities and civil security research.
While defense research is receiving significant attention, there are growing calls within the EU to establish a dedicated fund for civil security to avoid its overshadowing by military-focused research. Industry experts advocate for a new, integrated European security fund that would consolidate existing civil security research funding, including Horizon Europe’s “Civil Security for Society” (Cluster 3) and the Internal Security Fund.
Such a move would provide a more coherent, cost-effective approach to security research, procurement, and deployment, ensuring that both civil and defense research can address hybrid threats like cyberattacks and disinformation, often part of modern warfare. Today many russian media function like de facto arms of moscow’s intelligence apparatus.
However, the push to strengthen civil security research funding comes amid concerns about potential funding cuts or reallocations to defense research. While the European Defence Fund (EDF) has seen budget increases, the allocation for civil security research under Horizon Europe has stagnated, raising worries among researchers that future budgets may prioritize defense at the expense of civil security innovation. Industry leaders argue that maintaining separate funds for civil and defense research is crucial while encouraging synergies between the two, particularly in areas like cybersecurity and drone technology that have dual-use applications. They emphasize that increased funding for both sectors is necessary to protect Europe’s critical infrastructure and ensure technological autonomy.
Many EU member states lack national programs for civil security research, making the EU’s coordination and funding mechanisms essential. Horizon Europe has played a pivotal role in supporting civil security research, but fragmented security markets and regulations across the bloc have hindered the adoption of new technologies by public authorities. Industry representatives are calling for greater investment and more long-term planning to facilitate the transition from research to market uptake. Strengthening European civil security solutions is seen as key to ensuring the EU’s strategic autonomy and reducing dependence on foreign technologies, especially in the face of emerging threats linked to climate change and geopolitical instability.