TAKEDOWN will develop innovative solutions to respond to terrorist networks

To identify, prevent and respond to crime. These are the main axes of work followed by 18 European institutions that became partners in the consortium TAKEDOWN.

This partnership between technology and scientific investigation against organized crime and terrorist networks is funded by the prestigious EU programme H2020.

TAKEDOWN will develop responses to criminal threats by using a multidimensional approach including social, psychological, economic and cultural aspects, as well as prevention activities and response approaches.

Based on these insights, practical toolkits will be developed. A digital Solutions Platform, for example, will increase the cooperation between law enforcement agencies. An Open Information Hub will also be developed for practitioners and the public.

The excellence of partners involved in TAKEDOWN assures success for a project that will last until 2019. There are three Spanish institutions taking part in the consortium:

• The Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies (FUNDEA) is a highly specialized institution that works within the fields of cooperation, training and research. It aims to create a space for dialogue between Arab countries and those of the European Union. Created in 1995 in Granada thanks to the European Parliament agreement adopted in 1984 to create a Euro-Arab University, FUNDEA is ruled by a joint Board of Trustees, chaired by the Spanish Secretary General of the Ministry of Education, and further composed of the University of Granada and the regional government of Andalucía (Junta de Andalucía).

• The UAB Institute of Law and Technology (IDT), housed at the Faculty of Law of the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, is a research centre promoting cutting-edge research on Law and Technology from an interdisciplinary perspective. The core mission can be plainly summarized as follows: fostering research devoted to provide legal professionals, legal institutions, organizations, and citizens at large with appropriate technologies to enhance their legal work or to improve—as regards citizens, consumers, etc.—the exercise of their rights.

• Valencia Local Police (PLV): is one of the most active local police in Spain due to their continuous innovation in technology. Its Centre of Security and Emergencies is the best example of innovation in police management by using ICTs tools, as well as a great test bed for pilot experiences.

These are the other partners, leaded all by SYNYO GmbH:

• SYNYO GmbH is a leading SME based in Vienna (Austria). It is an independent research, innovation and technology hub that explores, develops and implements novel technologies to tackle business and societal challenges. SYNYO analyses the impact of emerging technologies on business and consumers, and provides clients with novel insights on innovations affecting their investments and businesses.

• TECHNION Israel Institute of Technology: The Technion is a science and technology research university, among the world’s top ten, dedicated to the creation of knowledge and the development of human capital and leadership. It was founded in 1912 in Haifa and is the oldest university in Israel and the Middle East. The university offers degrees in science and engineering, and related fields such as architecture, medicine, industrial management and education.

• The University of Security Management in Košice: provides higher education to students focusing on the knowledge of law, security sciences, criminalistics, economics, technical and natural sciences, logistics, management, risk analysis, environmental science and other fields in the Slovak Republic. It has three main institutes: the Institute of Civil Security, the Institute of Economic and Technical Security and the Institute of Humanities and Technological Sciences, and approximately 3,000 students in each academic year. The main aim of the USM Košice is to provide theoretical and practical knowledge of the crime (mainly on the issue of the reasons and consequences for the individual and society as a whole).  

• The Czech Technical University in Prague is one of the biggest and oldest non-military technical universities in Europe. It currently has eight faculties (Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Nuclear Science and Physical Engineering, Architecture, Transportation Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Information Technology) and various institutes offering 105 degree programmes to more than 24,000 students.

• Center for the Study of Democracy: is an interdisciplinary public policy institute dedicated to the values of democracy and market economy. CSD is an independent organization fostering the reform process in Bulgaria through impact on policy and civil society. Born as a think-tank, it has evolved into policy development through dialogue and partnership. The CSD has pioneered in several areas such as anti-corruption institutional reform, and national security.

• Technische Universität Darmstadt: is one of Germany’s leading universities of technology, and known around the globe for its pioneering achievements. TU Darmstadt focusses on selected, highly relevant problem areas, with technology at the heart of all its disciplines. The Natural Sciences as well as Social Sciences and Humanities cooperate closely with Engineering. In order to expand its expertise strategically, TU Darmstadt maintains a variety of partnerships with companies and research institutions. It is a vital driving force in the economic and technological development of the Frankfurt-Rhein-Neckar metropolitan area.

• Agency for European Integration and Economic Development: founded by the Federal Ministry of Finance in Austria in 2003. Apart from the core mission of internationally promoting the common legal requirements of the EU, and fostering modern and efficient administration via partnership projects, AEI implemented a more flexible and service-oriented approach covering the professional administration, management and implementation of a wider area of international projects was the result.

• University of Leeds – The Centre for Criminal Justice Studies (CCJS): the Centre was established in 1987 to pursue research into criminal justice systems and criminological issues. It has since grown to become one of the leading criminological centres of its genre with an established international profile. Much of our research is interdisciplinary and often comparative in its insights to certain key criminal justice issues.

• AGENFOR: is a non-profit Research Centre registered by the Italian Ministry of University, Scientific Research and Technology since 2000. It specializes in working on humanities and social sciences. The focal point for AGENFOR activities is the field of security and counterterrorism where it conducts specialized researches, manages a number of EU and National Projects and produces news and documentaries for national and international television audiences.

• Middlesex University London: teaches 38,500 students on career-focused courses in London, Dubai, Mauritius and Malta with prestigious academic partners and some 1,900 staff across the world. The research of Department of Criminology and Sociology engages with issues ranging from crime, policing and violence to digital technologies, feminism and popular culture. The department is involved in a wide range of partnerships, from Non-Government Organizations and local authorities to national and European agencies, where it provides research, consultancy and professional development support.

• Leuven Security Excellence Consortium VZW (LSEC): is a European not-for-profit association focused on Information Security, operating from Belgium. LSEC has a long standing expertise in Cyber Security and mitigating cybercrime since its foundation in 2002. The association has been focused on securing electronic transactions since its inception and over the past 10 years, it has been organizing various activities identifying cyber security challenges and related risks for businesses and organizations.

• The Police Academy in Szczytno: is part of the Polish police education system. It performs a significant role in training police executive and commanding staff. The Police Academy has a 60-year experience in teaching law enforcement officers in Poland. Its students acquire knowledge and develop skills in legal sciences, humanities and social sciences, as well as police-related subjects. An important aspect of the Academy’s operation is establishing and maintaining contacts with foreign police schools and academies. Nowadays, the Academy cooperates with police forces from such countries as Germany, France, Hungary, Russia, Ukraine, the USA or the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

• ETH Zurich – Center for Security Studies (CSS): is a center of competence for Swiss and international security policy. The CSS combines research and policy consultancy and, as such, functions as a bridge between academia and practice. It trains highly qualified junior researchers and serves as a point of contact and information for the interested public. That is why ETH Zurich has combined its expertise in the Risk Center, which is intended to become one of the world’s leading centres for interdisciplinary risk research and integrated risk management; there are also various research institutions focusing on different areas.

• The Peace Action, Training and Research Institute of Romania (PATRIR) has more than 14 years of experience working internationally in peacebuilding, early warning, strategic conflict and risk analysis, mediation and peace processes, and addressing radicalization and violent extremism. The Institute works in the fields of research, policy development, training and professional development, and direct operational engagement in early warning, prevention and peacebuilding in areas affected by war and armed conflict.

• The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA): is the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining and raising awareness of best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment. CSA harnesses the subject matter expertise of industry practitioners, associations, governments, and its corporate and individual members to offer cloud security-specific research, education, certification, events and products. It has a presence in every continent except Antarctica and its European head office is located in Edinburgh (Scotland).