General considerations
At the core of Frontex’s research and development (R&D) work is exploration of the potential offered by new border management technologies to meet the dual objective of enhancing security while facilitating travel. The Agency proactively monitors and contributes to developments in research relevant to the control and surveillance of the external borders. Frontex also keeps Member States and the European Commission up to date with developments.
Effective border control has to strike a balance between facilitating the movement of an increasing number of travellers across borders, and promoting greater security for European citizens. Innovative technologies, which are nowadays developing at an unprecedented pace, can provide valuable help to border management authorities to do their job more efficiently. Yet this important goal requires that border control technologies focus on addressing key challenges. They also need to be sufficiently flexible to adapt to changing circumstances and diverse conditions along the EU external border, and meet the needs of the border guard community. Moreover, in an EU with no internal border controls and with common external borders, another key challenge lies in fostering interoperability, i.e. the ability of different systems and national authorities to work together.
Frontex plays a key role in bridging the gap between producers and end users, making sure that the research and development community has a clear picture of the needs and challenges faced daily at the EU’s borders. The agency facilitates information exchange between border management authorities, research institutes, universities and industry, via the organisation of projects, workshops and conferences. It also informs EU research programmes under the Security Theme of the Seventh Framework Programme for research and technological development (FP7) and provides input for policy development.
In addition, Frontex is very active in driving the process of harmonisation and development of best practices and standards in border control, both operational and technical, in line with existing and future EU measures.
Border management covers all activities carried out at the external border to address the issue of irregular migration. Yet the nature of the actions related to, and the technologies applied for border surveillance (between authorised Border Crossing Points, BCPs) and for border checks (at BCPs) are quite different. In order to cater for these different needs, Frontex research and development activities have been organised into two programmes, a border checks programme and a border surveillance programme.
Specific considerations
One of the objectives of the Frontex’s R&D Unit for 2013 is to create a network/working group of experts of the Member States Border Authorities, specialized in the field of land border surveillance (Land Border Surveillance Working Group). For this year the Working Group will be focused on showcasing the existing practices and technologies in use for land border surveillance (in the Member States where the experts are coming from). Another priority will be the development of a set of minimum requirements for possible rapid deployable, cost-effective land border surveillance systems to be tested in Frontex joint operations 2014.
In order to support the activity of the Member States’ experts, there is a need of providing them with information on the Industry’s latest achievements in cost-effective and fast deployable land border surveillance systems.
On these lines, Frontex launches the present call for papers, inviting Industry to send to landsurwg@frontex.europa.eu and to Zdravko Kolev at zdravko.kolev@frontex.europa.eu, by10 May 2013, detailed technical presentations together with a white paper (pdf/word format, containing technical specifications, descriptions, relevant pictures) of its latest achievements/advanced technical solutions in this domain. The technical solutions will consist of combinations of at least the following types of sensor: radars, electro-optic sensors, unattended ground sensors, communication systems capable to transmit in near real time the situational picture and warnings on remote terminals.
Frontex will not publish the papers received. They will be used as support documentation during the activity of the mentioned Working Group.
After analyzing the Industry’s submissions, four to six companies in the field of land border surveillance technology will be invited to present their submission to the Land Border Surveillance Working Group in October 2013. The submitters will be informed on a decision, by email, by June 2013.
Please note that the papers submitted by industry will be selected on a first-come-first-served basis and their representatives might be invited to present them. The invitees are to cover by themselves the costs related to the participation in presentation.