The European innovation projects ATLANTIS and SUNRISE concluded their launch conference in Brussels on 29 September, jointly organised by the EU-CIP project. The event hosted, in addition to the consortium partners of all three projects, representatives of the European Commission and other organisations working in the field of critical infrastructure (CI) resilience, such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Agency for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).

Over 100 participants had the opportunity to see the key results of all projects and presentations on the role of R&D projects in increasing system capabilities. Two round tables were also held.

The first was on the transfer of knowledge, experience and technologies from EU projects in the working environment of critical infrastructure operators and the added value that such projects use in the organization. The round table also included Tina Bizjak, representative of Luka Koper, and Urban Bavčar, representative of ELES. Luka Koper and ELES played a key role in both projects in understanding the challenges in ensuring business continuity that CI operators from different sectors face. The projects strengthened awareness of common risks and facilitated the connection of key representatives who address these risks in their daily work. In particular, the project addressed complex threats and pandemic situations, which are so demanding to effectively manage, as demonstrated in the recent historical perspective.

During the round tables, a special part was also dedicated to presenting experiences in the field of application of new technological solutions. In this part, Tomaž Ramšak from Slovenske železnice presented their experiences with testing and usability of developed technological solutions.

The second round table touched on the importance of knowledge and experience gained in projects in shaping future policies and strategies for common, European resilience.

The Institute for Corporate Security Studies was the only European organization that carried out its work in both key infrastructure projects. We are particularly proud of this fact and look forward to excellent cooperation with partners also in the follow-up critical infrastructure projects ENDURANCE and ECHO, where Slovenia again has an important place.