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eFORT

Relevant project information

Dates

September 2022 - August 2026

Project website

https://efort-project.eu/

Role of CIRCE

Coordinator

Grant agreement number

101075665

Funded by

Horizon Europe logo

Description and objectives

Every day, due to climate change and the changing global situation, critical infrastructures are facing new threats, such as extreme events or cyber-attacks.

eFORT focuses on power grids, and the project approach will enable further improvement of the power grid without affecting the security of supply; increasing its reliability and resilience against extreme weather events, man-made risks and technological failures in equipment.

eFORT addresses this complex challenge by bringing together a consortium of 24 partners from 10 EU countries to provide the necessary expertise. The project will implement a set of solutions at the cyber and physical level to detect, prevent and mitigate vulnerabilities and threats.

Among these, an interoperable smart platform will establish a common basis for network characterization and vulnerability monitoring, in addition to collecting information from smart grid components and applying high-powered algorithms, while asset management developments will reinforce the robustness of the network infrastructure, which will be enhanced by the IT addressed.

Value proposition

Development of innovative technologies:

  • Implementation of an advanced Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to strengthen critical infrastructure security.
  • Integration of emerging technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence to enhance resilience and protection against cyber threats in grids and substations.
  • Increased resilience of grids and substations: application of BIM (Building Information Modeling) methodologies specifically adapted to critical infrastructures to improve the planning, design and management of grids and substations.
  • Enhanced infrastructure resilience, enabling rapid identification and response to potential threats, contributing to operational continuity even in challenging environments.

Strengthening against emerging threats:

  • The technologies developed provide proactive defense against emerging threats, ensuring the robustness of critical infrastructures.
  • The combination of IDS, blockchain, artificial intelligence and BIM methodologies creates a comprehensive approach to address and mitigate both cyber and physical threats, ensuring a superior level of security. 

Optimization of cybersecurity:

  • The application of blockchain and artificial intelligence methods contributes to the optimization of cyber security, protecting critical data and ensuring the integrity of operations.
  • The use of IDS provides continuous monitoring to detect any suspicious activity, enabling immediate responses to potential threats.

Adaptation to evolving risks:

  • The flexibility of these technologies enables continuous adaptation to evolving cyber and physical risks, ensuring that critical infrastructures are prepared to deal with changing and emerging threats.

Project partners

ENCS, TENNET, TNO, TUD, DNV, RINA-C, SELTA-DP, EDYINA, LINKS, FRAUNHOFER, CUERVA, SIA, COMILLAS, SCHN, JSC, ISOL, UBE, SUITE5, HYPER, CERTH, JB2B y SIN