Author: Anna Pomortseva (EOS)

On 29 September 2025, Brussels became the epicentre of Europe’s critical infrastructure resilience efforts as the EU-CIP project hosted its Third and Final Annual Conference. In partnership with the SUNRISE and ATLANTIS projects, the event gathered more than 150 stakeholders from across Europe and beyond — including policymakers, operators, innovators, and researchers — to chart a blueprint for safeguarding Europe’s most vital systems.

Why Resilience Matters Now

From cyber threats to geopolitical tensions, climate change, and supply chain disruptions, Europe’s critical infrastructures face growing challenges. The war in Ukraine served as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities at play, making it urgent to develop stronger, more adaptive systems. The EU-CIP initiative was designed to do exactly that: build a pan-European knowledge hub that empowers evidence-based policymaking, supports innovation, and strengthens collaboration across the Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) and Resilience (CIR) community.

A Joint Effort: Collaborate, Innovate, Anticipate, Protect

Themed “Collaborate, Innovate, Anticipate, Protect: A European Blueprint for Resilient Infrastructure,” the joint conference offered:

• Keynotes from leaders such as the European Commission and the UN, underlining the urgency of resilience in today’s interconnected world.
• Panel discussions linking research to industry practice, highlighting challenges and opportunities across energy, healthcare, transport, and maritime sectors.
• Live demonstrations of project outcomes — from drone-based infrastructure inspection tools (SUNRISE) to large-scale cross-border pilots (ATLANTIS) — showing how EU research translates into tangible solutions.
• Strategic dialogues on the future of resilience, where experts from EU-CIP, UN, OECD, and ECSCI stressed the need for trusted information-sharing, digital twins, and bridging the gap between policy and practice.

The Final Conference of EU-CIP

Over three years, the EU-CIP conferences (Brussels 2023, Madrid 2024, Brussels 2025) have become the flagship forum for Europe’s CIP/CIR community. Participation grew steadily, reflecting a vibrant ecosystem of collaboration. Even as the project concludes, its Knowledge Hub and ECSCI Cluster will continue to sustain and expand this momentum, ensuring that research outcomes translate into real-world resilience strategies.

Looking Ahead

The final conference was not just a conclusion — it was a launchpad. By consolidating the achievements of EU-CIP, SUNRISE, and ATLANTIS, it provided Europe with a shared vision for resilient infrastructures that can withstand tomorrow’s crises.

Resilience is no longer a buzzword — it is Europe’s collective responsibility. And with the foundations laid by EU-CIP, the path forward is clearer than ever.