ETICAS RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

Their core work

Eticas is a Barcelona-based research consultancy specializing in the ethical assessment and governance of artificial intelligence, particularly in security and law enforcement contexts. They evaluate AI tools for bias, gender sensitivity, and civil rights compliance, ensuring that technology deployed by police, border agencies, and first responders meets ethical and legal standards. Their work bridges the gap between technical AI development and societal impact assessment, making them a go-to partner when EU security projects need rigorous ethics-by-design frameworks.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Eticas entered H2020 in 2019 with SATIE, focused on physical and cyber security for air transport — a more traditional security infrastructure project. By 2021, their work shifted decisively toward AI ethics, with both TeamAware and popAI centering on responsible AI for law enforcement and emergency services. This trajectory shows a clear specialization from general security assessment toward becoming an AI ethics authority within the security domain.

Eticas is deepening its niche in ethical AI governance for public safety applications — expect them to pursue projects on predictive policing ethics, AI regulation compliance, and responsible surveillance technology.

How they like to work

Eticas operates exclusively as a specialist participant, never as coordinator, which is typical for ethics-focused organizations that embed within larger technical consortia to provide a specific governance function. With 51 unique partners across just 3 projects, they work in large consortia (averaging 17+ partners per project), suggesting comfort in complex multi-partner environments. Their role is that of a trusted specialist brought in to handle the societal and ethical dimensions that technical leads cannot cover themselves.

Despite only three projects, Eticas has built a broad network of 51 partners across 16 countries, reflecting the large-consortium nature of EU security research. Their geographic footprint spans most of Europe, with no single dominant partner country beyond their Spanish base.

What sets them apart

Eticas occupies a rare niche: an independent research centre dedicated to AI ethics that operates specifically within the security and law enforcement domain. Most ethics consultancies work in health or general tech — Eticas brings that expertise to the sensitive intersection of AI, policing, and civil liberties. For any consortium building a security-related AI project under Horizon Europe, they offer a credible, experienced ethics partner that reviewers and evaluators will recognize.

Highlights from their portfolio

• popAI
  Directly addresses the politically sensitive topic of AI tools for law enforcement, combining ethics-by-design with gender sensitivity — a rare and highly relevant combination for EU funding priorities.
• TeamAware
  Combines AI, augmented reality, and first responder operations with ethical oversight — represents Eticas' expansion into real-time operational technology assessment.