SECRICOM

SECRICOM is a research project creating Seamless Communication for Crisis Management for EU safety. Thirteen partners from eight EU countries united their capacities in order to produce a competetive solution for secure communication and collaboration of emergency responders with advanced functions. The project is co-funded from FP7 programme.

In September 2006 the European Security Research Advisory Board (ESRAB) published a report setting the European security research agenda and the requirements on new communication infrastructures. These requirements include security, dependability, enhanced connectivity, transmission of multiple formats and advanced search functions.

"... a system that ensures end-to-end secure transmission of data and services across heterogenous infrastructures with real time detection and recovery capabilities against intrusions, malfunctions and failures ..."

In response to these ESRAB requirements, the collaborative research project SECRICOM was proposed by consortium of ICT and security specialists. After evaluation and negotiation with the funding sponsor (the EC) the SECRICOM project started on 1st September 2008. It will create and demonstrate a secure communication platform for crisis management in Europe during 44 months.

The SECRICOM will develop and demonstrate a secure communications infrastructure for public safety organisations and their users. Achievements will include:

• The exploitation of existing publicly available communication network infrastructure with interface towards emerging SDR systems
• Interoperability between heterogeneous secure communication systems
• A parallel distributed mobile agent-based transaction system for effective procurement
• Infrastructure based on custom chip-level security

Application of the SECRICOM results are envisaged in these areas:

• Emergency responders – paramedics, police, fire brigades
• Public bodies – crisis management headquarters
• eHealth systems – structures of the future with interaction on various levels
• eCommerce – heterogenous logistics systems

The project started September 2008, further information can be found on the project webpage here.