Imagine you run a security team and people in your community are being pulled toward extremist groups online — but you have no playbook for how to push back effectively. Pericles built exactly that playbook. The project studied how radicalization actually works across left-wing, right-wing, and religious extremism, then developed targeted counter-propaganda techniques and prevention strategies. Think of it as giving law enforcement and social workers a tested toolkit to intervene before someone crosses the line from angry online posts to real-world violence.
Security agencies across Europe face growing online radicalization across multiple ideological spectrums but lack validated, target-group-specific tools to counter digital propaganda effectively. Existing responses are often generic, failing to differentiate between left-wing, right-wing, and religious extremism. Without evidence-based prevention strategies, law enforcement and social workers operate largely on instinct rather than proven methods.
The project delivered 30 deliverables including validated counter-propaganda techniques specific to different target groups, a comprehensive needs assessment for security end-users, and policy recommendations for preventing violent radicalization. Outputs were tested through validation workshops with law enforcement and security professionals.
If you are a law enforcement agency dealing with rising online radicalization threats — this project developed validated counter-propaganda techniques and prevention strategies tested with end-user security professionals across 8 countries. The tools address left-wing, right-wing, and religious extremism, giving your officers practical methods rather than abstract theory.
If you run a prison or probation service dealing with radicalized inmates or at-risk individuals — this project delivered needs assessments and target-group-specific intervention approaches. The outputs were validated with security end-users and cover de-radicalization support, giving your staff evidence-based methods for working with affected individuals.
If you are a tech company or government unit tasked with countering violent digital propaganda — this project specifically focused on risks connected with online extremist content and developed counter-propaganda techniques. With 15 consortium partners contributing expertise from 8 countries, the outputs reflect diverse European threat landscapes.
The project's EU contribution is not publicly listed in the dataset. Since Pericles was a Research and Innovation Action producing policy recommendations and communication tools, implementation costs would depend on your organization's scale and existing infrastructure. Contact the coordinator for licensing or adoption details.
The project was designed for broad adoption across law enforcement and security agencies, with validation workshops involving end-users from the security sector. The consortium spanned 8 countries, suggesting the tools were developed with cross-border scalability in mind. However, scaling would require adaptation to local legal and cultural contexts.
As a publicly funded RIA project, many outputs are likely available for government and public sector use. Based on available project data, 30 deliverables were produced. Specific IP and licensing terms should be discussed directly with the coordinating institute, Kriminologisches Forschungsinstitut Niedersachsen in Germany.
Yes. The project conducted a dedicated validation workshop with security end-users, as documented in the deliverables. A formal needs assessment of different target groups was also completed, ensuring the outputs address real operational requirements rather than theoretical scenarios.
Pericles explicitly covers three threat categories: violent left-wing extremism, right-wing extremism, and religious radicalization. The counter-propaganda techniques developed are target-group-specific, meaning different approaches for different ideological threats rather than a one-size-fits-all method.
The project ran from May 2017 to April 2020 and is now closed, meaning the outputs are complete and available. Based on available project data, implementation timelines would depend on your agency's procurement processes and training capacity. The validation with end-users suggests the tools are ready for adoption, not still in development.
The Pericles consortium brings together 15 partners from 8 countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Netherlands, and the UK), giving it a broad European perspective on radicalization threats. The mix is heavily weighted toward public and research organizations: 4 universities, 3 research institutes, and 6 other organizations (likely government bodies and NGOs), with only 2 industry partners and 1 SME (13% industry ratio). This composition makes sense for a security policy project — the real end-users are government agencies, not commercial companies. The coordinator is the Criminological Research Institute of Lower Saxony, a well-known German research body specializing in crime prevention, which adds credibility for law enforcement adoption.
Reach out to Kriminologisches Forschungsinstitut Niedersachsen (Criminological Research Institute of Lower Saxony), Germany — the project coordinator with direct access to all outputs and partnership opportunities.
SciTransfer can connect you directly with the Pericles research team, provide a detailed briefing on their counter-radicalization tools, and help assess fit for your agency's needs. Contact us to arrange an introduction.
