The European Commission Joint Research Centre held its first ERNCIP Conference in Ispra on 12-13 December 2012. Over 100 CIP experts attended the conference, included officials from Member State governments, test laboratories, academic organisations, security product manufacturers and the European Commission.

The conference was organised by the ERNCIP Office with the objective of providing a forum for the widest range of ERNCIP stakeholders to meet and exchange information about the current challenges of testing protocols, standardization, certification and investment issues.  All the eight ERNCIP thematic areas were presented and discussed, the subjects being as diverse as explosive detection and cyber security.

The conference discussions underlined the importance of testing security solutions and offered a number of practical suggestions; such as more testing capabilities should be developed, or investment is required to improve the lab capabilities and lab availability in the EU. For more details about the conference conclusions, please see our summary report within the download area.

An overview of all the speakers and the presentation summaries can be found in the booklet of the conference.

Conference opening

Naouma Kourti, ERNCIP project manager, JRC introduced the concepts About ERNCIP project.

Eva-Maria Engdahl, DG Home

European security standardization and certification, Hans-Martin Pastuszka, DG Enterprise

Session I: Common test protocols for security solutions

Dr.-Ing. Alexander Stolz, Session Chairman

Driving questions:

• How to test security solutions – with or without standards?
• How could we agree on common test protocols in the EU?
• Unit test vs. system tests: what conclusions can (not) be drawn after testing a singular element of a security system?

Presentations:

• Security standards at NIST, Dr. Richard Cavanagh, NIST Special Programs Office
• The development of performance standards for the evaluation of video analytics systems, Adam Nilski, Centre for Applied Science and Technology, Home Office, UK
• Defining Objectives for New Regulations to Support the Management of the Human Factor within Video Surveillance, Lucio Tirone, ASTER 
• Protection of Water Resources and Supply Infrastructures - opportunities for innovation in water ecoindustries?, Dr. Bernd Manfred Gawlik, JRC
• Standardization – experiences and needs in water safety, Ramona Lugosi, Transdanubian Regional Waterworks Corporation
• Creating a cost efficient Pan European security solution validation and testing regime, the industry perspective, Perrine Gueroult, Smiths Group
• Meeting standards for building products against blast, manual attack and ballistic threats – manufacturers perspective, Roger Cleave, Hamilton Erskine 
• Common test protocols for detection equipment, Michael Hill, Bundespolizei Lübeck

Session II:  EU and International testing standards for security solutions 

Mr Sandro Bologna, Session Chairman

Driving questions:

• What does it take to make a testing standard? How the EU could benefit from it? (how the EU research community and industry benefit?)
• Standards at national, European and international level – what objectives do we have in harmonization? 
• What are the main drivers of the standardization?
• How could we improve time-to-market?
• Harmonization in Europe: would we like to sell the products world-wide?
• Do we need European solutions? Do international standards drive down the costs?
• Challenges in the communication of test results (confidentiality of test results issues).

Presentations:

• Overview of JRC’s standardization activities, Peter Churchill, JRC
• An overview of the current status of international security standards, Bert M. Coursey, ISO Strategic Advisory Group-Security
• European Standards - solutions, Ashok Ganesh, CEN/CENELEC (European Electrotechnical Standardization) 
• Airport security testing standards, Rad Olszewski, DG HOME
• Standardization of security technologies: the French initiative on CBRN-E detection, Laurent Olmedo, CEA 
• ICS and Smart Grids Security Standards, Sandro Bologna, Associazione Italiana Infrastrutture Critiche
• How standards help assure critical systems – lessons from standards-led testing of biometric solutions, Marek Rejman-Greene, Centre for Applied Science and Technology, Home Office, UK

Roundtable discussion: Development of testing standards and common test protocols in the EU – how ERNCIP can contribute?

• Moderator: Dr. Alois Sieber, Besozzo, Italy
• Animator: Luigi Rebuffi, EOS

Session III:  EU-wide certification and accreditation for security solutions

Mr François Murgadella, Session Chairman

Driving questions:

• What is the value of conformity assessment activities (certification, inspection and testing)?
• What should be certified? The whole system? Personnel?
• How can we make the certification process more cost efficient?
• Certification = security? Can certification give us the sense of security?
• What is the value of accreditation and what can it provide?

Presentations:

• The added value of accreditation for testing, inspection and certification activities, Dr. Paolo Bianco, Accreditation body of Italy 
• Water Supply Security (Risk assessment in regard to possible contamination of drinking water), Dr. Julia Sasse, Robert Koch Institute 
• SecurEau—Security and decontamination of drinking water distribution systems following a deliberate contamination, Dr. Sylvain Fass, Université de Lorraine
• Qualification of the European large research testing facilities, Maurizio Zola, P&P LMC – Seriate BG and Fabio Taucer, JRC
• The value of blast resistant testing, standardization and certification, Ans van Doormaal, TNO
• Experience in accreditation of safety and security related activities, Christina Waddington, Finnish Accreditation Service
• Is the whole system more than the sum of its certified parts?, Dr. Francois Mesqui, Morpho Detection

Session IV: Investments in R&D on security solutions

Mr Luigi Rebuffi, Session Chairman

Driving questions:

• What are the research investment topics where a common European approach is needed and how to make use of that?
• How to reach the decision makers and  get (financial) support from them?
• How to maximize the future impact of the research investments?
• How could we better connect the research to the manufacturers and the industry?
• What are the expectations of the manufacturers from research labs?
• How ERNCIP could help to put research into practice?

Presentations:

• Maximizing future impact of standardisation & certification of R&D output, Dr. Andre Hermanns
• Building the bridge between practice and research by identifying the needs, Jos Menting, Laborelec GDF Suez
• GAP analysis: from scenarios to needs in explosives detection, Didier Poullain, CEA
• Fostering the implementation of innovative technologies in aviation security, Marie-Caroline Laurent, International Air Transport Association
• Towards a European Infrastructures Simulation and Analysis Center, Dr. Erich Rome, Fraunhofer Institute for Intelligent Analysis and Information Systems 

Roundtable discussion: Possible roles of ERNCIP in supporting CIP related research

• Moderator: Neil Mitchison, JRC
• Animator: Luigi Rebuffi, EOS