INSTITUT ZA KORPORATIVNE VARNOSTNE STUDIJE LJUBLJANA

Their core work

The Institute for Corporate Security Studies in Ljubljana specializes in protecting critical infrastructure and public spaces against both cyber and physical threats. Their work spans energy infrastructure defense, industrial plant resilience, and counter-terrorism for soft targets — combining security research with practical tools like digital twins and serious games for training. They bridge the gap between security policy, threat intelligence, and operational preparedness for both public and private sector operators.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

The institute's early H2020 work (2017–2019) focused on defending physical energy infrastructure and improving resilience of industrial plants against combined threats. From 2021 onward, their focus broadened significantly to include counter-terrorism for public spaces, cybersecurity of energy data services, and advanced tools like digital twins and serious games. The shift indicates a move from purely infrastructure-centric defense toward integrated cyber-physical security with stronger emphasis on operational training and intelligence analysis.

They are expanding from infrastructure protection into broader public security, threat intelligence, and simulation-based preparedness — positioning themselves for the EU's growing investment in civil security research.

How they like to work

Exclusively a participant — they have never coordinated an H2020 project, which suggests they contribute specialized expertise rather than driving project design. With 125 unique partners across 21 countries from just 5 projects, they consistently join large security consortia (averaging 25+ partners per project). This makes them an experienced, low-friction consortium member who knows how to deliver within large multi-national teams.

With 125 unique partners across 21 countries from only 5 projects, they have built a remarkably broad European security network. Their connections span the major EU security research community, making them a well-connected entry point for anyone looking to join this ecosystem.

What sets them apart

As a Slovenian research institute dedicated specifically to corporate and infrastructure security, they occupy a niche that few Central European organizations fill. Their combination of energy security, cyber-physical resilience, and counter-terrorism expertise under one roof makes them a versatile partner for security-focused consortia. For coordinators building Horizon Europe security proposals, they offer proven delivery in Innovation Actions with deep experience across multiple threat domains.

Highlights from their portfolio

• APPRAISE
  Their largest-funded project (EUR 349,866) and most thematically rich — combining counter-terrorism, internet content analysis, and real-time threat detection for soft targets.
• CyberSEAS
  Highest single EC contribution (EUR 358,312), focused on cybersecurity for energy data services — bridging their infrastructure and cyber expertise.
• PRECINCT
  Introduces digital twins and serious games for critical infrastructure preparedness, showing their move toward simulation-based security training.