Built-In Cybersecurity for Medical, Cloud, and Automotive Systems From the Chip Up

The project's EU contribution amount is not available in the dataset, so specific cost benchmarks cannot be provided. Implementation costs would depend on whether you adopt the secure processor designs, the software architecture patterns, or both. Contact the coordinator for licensing terms and integration cost estimates.

SHARCS demonstrated its secure-by-design approach across 3 distinct application domains — medical, cloud, and automotive — which suggests the architecture is platform-independent and adaptable. However, as a Research and Innovation Action (RIA), the outputs are validated prototypes rather than production-ready products. Scaling to commercial volumes would require additional engineering and certification work.

The consortium of 8 partners across 6 countries includes 3 industry partners who likely hold commercial exploitation rights. IP ownership and licensing terms would need to be negotiated with the coordinating institution (IDRYMA TECHNOLOGIAS KAI EREVNAS in Greece) or the specific partner that developed the component you need. Based on available project data, no open-source licensing model is explicitly mentioned.

SHARCS specifically addressed the challenge of securing legacy applications alongside new builds. The project's objective included systematically analyzing and extending existing hardware and software layers, which suggests backward-compatible integration paths were explored. However, full end-to-end security may require hardware upgrades depending on your current infrastructure.

The core premise of SHARCS is that software-only security leaves fundamental gaps — if the hardware layer is compromised, no amount of software patching helps. The project demonstrated that securing every layer starting from the processor gives substantially stronger protection. This is particularly relevant for industries like automotive and medical where physical access to devices makes software-only defenses insufficient.

Based on available project data, SHARCS targeted security-critical applications in medical, cloud, and automotive domains, all of which face increasing cybersecurity regulation. While the project predates some current regulations (it ran 2015-2017), the secure-by-design approach aligns with principles now required by the EU Cyber Resilience Act, medical device MDR cybersecurity requirements, and automotive UN R155.

SHARCS officially closed in December 2017. The coordinating institution (IDRYMA TECHNOLOGIAS KAI EREVNAS, also known as FORTH in Greece) is a major research foundation that remains active. Several consortium partners are industry players who may have continued developing the technology commercially. The project website at sharcs-project.eu may have updated contact information.