Between the 29th and 31st of May 2023, the HERMES project was featured at the renowned ‘Research and Innovation Symposium for European Security and Defence 2023’ (RISE-SD 2023) held in Rhodes, Greece. As part of its clustering activities aiming at sharing military-grade cybersecurity knowledge and experience, HERMES joined the RISE-SD 2023 group of 30 Co-organising projects. 

RISE-SD 2023 is an international EU Research and Innovation event focusing on Disaster and Crisis management, Critical Infrastructure protection, Border security and Defence Research. Organised by CERTH, Satways, and the Bulgarian Defence Institute, the main objective of the 2023 edition was to bring together the European R&D communities in Civil Protection & Defence, fostering collaboration and innovation. 

The HERMES team had the privilege of joining more than 200 participants, including high-level EU representatives, government officials, researchers, industry professionals, practitioners, and European security and defence stakeholders. Our team engaged in insightful discussions on topics such as Resilient Societies, Crime and Terrorism, Cybersecurity, and the EU’s Defence capabilities. During a dedicated session on cybersecurity and defence projects, Ms. Frini Lazarou, HERMES Quality Assurance and Risk Manager, presented HERMES’ key objectives and latest achievements. 

HERMES representatives also had the opportunity to attend an extensive program of conference sessions, panel discussions and focused workshops concerning specific security and civil protection issues such as the resilience of critical entities, wildfire management etc. This year’s edition also featured an exhibition showcasing more than 20 cutting-edge technological solutions, as well as live open-air demonstrations of relevant projects and their outcomes.