KOMENDA GLOWNA STRAZY GRANICZNEJ

Their core work

The Border Guard of the Republic of Poland is the national law enforcement agency responsible for border security, immigration control, and cross-border crime prevention across Poland's extensive EU external borders. In H2020 projects, they serve as an operational end-user, providing real-world border control expertise, testing environments, and practitioner feedback for technologies such as biometric screening, automated risk assessment, and surveillance in difficult terrain. Their participation ensures that research outputs meet the practical demands of frontline border officers operating at one of Europe's busiest external borders.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their early projects (2016) focused on automating the traveler interaction at border checkpoints — deception detection, biometric identification, and securing the IT systems behind them (iBorderCtrl, PROTECT). By 2018, their focus shifted toward broader border security challenges: screening passengers and luggage at scale (TRESSPASS) and detecting threats in difficult physical environments like dense foliage (FOLDOUT). This progression shows a move from checkpoint-level automation toward wider situational awareness and environmental surveillance.

Moving from individual traveler verification toward integrated, environment-aware border monitoring systems that combine risk assessment with physical surveillance.

How they like to work

Always a participant, never a coordinator — consistent with their role as an operational end-user who provides real-world validation rather than driving research agendas. With 62 unique partners across 20 countries, they work in large, multi-national security consortia typical of EU security research. Their broad partner network suggests they are a sought-after end-user whose operational credibility strengthens project proposals.

Extensive network of 62 partners across 20 countries, reflecting the large consortia typical of EU security research. Their reach across most of Europe makes them a well-connected operational partner for border and security projects.

What sets them apart

Poland operates one of the EU's longest and most complex external borders (with Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia's Kaliningrad exclave), making its Border Guard an exceptionally valuable end-user for security research. Few EU border agencies bring this combination of high-traffic land border operations and active participation in research consortia. For any project needing a credible operational testing ground at the EU's eastern frontier, they are a natural partner.

Highlights from their portfolio

• iBorderCtrl
  High-profile and controversial project combining AI-based deception detection with biometrics for automated border control — drew significant public and media attention.
• FOLDOUT
  Addresses the niche challenge of detecting people and objects through dense vegetation, directly relevant to green border surveillance in forested areas.
• TRESSPASS
  Largest funding share (EUR 102,250) and focused on scalable risk-based screening of passengers and luggage — the most operationally deployable concept in their portfolio.