One Year of AI4SafeEurope 

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Guest Article by AI4SafeEurope Cluster led by Sister Project AVALANCHE 

As Europe accelerates its efforts to enhance security, resilience, and technological leadership, collaboration has become more important than ever. In this spirit, the AI4SafeEurope Cluster was established to bring together Horizon Europe projects working on cutting-edge solutions in AI, security, threat detection, and information analysis. Now, less than a year after its launch, the AI4SafeEurope Cluster has evolved from an initial idea into a stable network of eight active Horizon Europe projects. 

Over the past year, the AI4SafeEurope Cluster has established strong foundations for collaboration through a series of structured joint activities coordinated by project AVALANCHE. Regular monthly meetings have ensured continuous alignment across all eight projects, enabling coordinated planning and shared learning. The AI4SafeEurope Cluster held its first joint event at the 4th NOTIONES Conference in Rome (June 2025) and organised its first public webinar in collaboration with the FERMI project, focusing on Fake News and Disinformation (September 2025). In addition, two joint publications were produced from AVALANCHE and FERMI, and the AI4SafeEurope Cluster issued its first joint newsletter in June 2025 initiated by project PRESERVE AI. Shared resources, including a common events calendar, joint Dissemination & Communication materials, a dedicated repository hosted by AVALANCHE, as well as a full cluster brand pack (logo, colour palette, and presentation templates), now support coordinated communication across all projects regarding the cluster. The AI4SafeEurope Cluster has also benefited from the Booster Service 3.2 (Portfolio Analysis), which provided strategic guidance, mapping, and assisted in drafting a common visual identity to strengthen joint outreach and impact.

By bringing together the following eight complementary Horizon Europe projects working at the intersection of AI, security, and law enforcement, the Cluster has created a dynamic environment for shared learning, cooperation and joint action. 

  • AVALANCHE : Since its launch in October 2024, AVALANCHE has advanced its mission to support LEAs in detecting and analysing hate speech, disinformation, and synthetic media through AI-driven tools and cross-border intelligence workflows. In its first year, the project organised its 1st AVALANCHE Hackathon (October 2025), inviting participants to develop lightweight, explainable AI models for hate-speech detection and severity scoring. AVALANCHE has been actively represented in key European security events, including CERIS, CEPOL, PRESERVE’s International Workshop, and the 4th NOTIONES Conference, while also contributing to scientific dissemination through multiple peer-reviewed publications. The project successfully passed its first Review Meeting in November 2025 and continues to strengthen collaboration across Europe’s civil-security ecosystem. 
  • CEASEFIRE: Fights illicit firearms trafficking with AI-based tools for online monitoring, in-field detection, and cross-border intelligence sharing.
  • ENSEMBLE: Since its launch in November 2025, ENSEMBLE has progressed towards the development of a toolbox of AI-based tools and processes in order to support LEAs in their fight against cybercrime. During this first year, the ENSEMBLE consortium focused on developing its tools, while maintaining compliance with all the necessary EU legal and ethical standards. At the same time, ENSEMBLE strived to collaborate with projects and initiatives that share the same values in cybersecurity and the deterrence of cybercrime. 
  • FERMI: Having launched in October 2022, FERMI recently completed its three-year run with a successful hybrid final conference in Berlin and online on 16 September 2025 and the completion of its final review in November 2025. Even after its conclusion, FERMI continues to support the AI4SafeEurope cluster with insights from its run and the consortium is looking forward to share knowledge and lessons learnt with the other projects. 
  • GANNDALF: Since its launch in October 2024, GANNDALF has been developing a collaborative framework to support LEAs in the prevention, detection, and investigation of advanced cybercrime. During its initial phase, the project established its technical and operational baseline, validated core LEA-driven use cases, and actively engaged the European security community through dissemination activities and clustering initiatives, strengthening cross-border cooperation in cybersecurity and law enforcement. 
  • NOTIONES:  The NOTIONES Final Conference will take place on 2 April 2026 in Lille, France, during the Forum InCyber event. It marks the conclusion of the Horizon 2020 NOTIONES project, which built a European network linking law enforcement, intelligence services, academia, and industry. The conference will present project results, case studies, and technologies supporting security and resilience. Contributions are invited until 30 January 2026, with free registration open from 12 January to 16 March. The event aims to strengthen collaboration, share knowledge, and highlight practical solutions for adapting to rapid technological change.
  • PRESERVE (AI): Since its kick-off in September 2024, PRESERVE has progressed toward developing an AI-powered decision-support toolbox for cybercrime prevention and detection, fully aligned with EU ethical and legal standards. In parallel, the project is actively fostering collaboration across Europe’s civil security and cybercrime community. Following a first international stakeholder workshop in April under the “Networking within the Security Research Community!” series initiated by PRESERVE, a second edition was organised in October in Madrid. 
  • PRESERVE C-UAS: Delivers a counter-UAS platform enabling police authorities to detect and manage drone-based threats in public spaces.

As the AI4SafeEurope Cluster moves into 2026, it remains committed to fostering collaboration, joint dissemination, and strategic alignment among cutting-edge initiatives, united by a shared mission to support law enforcement agencies (LEAs), policymakers, and security stakeholders across Europe. 

Read more news about the A4SafeEurope Cluster in our news archive