ARIEN participated in the CERIS Workshop “Research and Innovation against Illicit Drugs: From Foresight to Operational Impact”, held in Brussels on 5–6 May 2026 and organised by the European Commission DG HOME under the Community for European Research and Innovation for Security (CERIS). The two-day event brought together policymakers, law enforcement authorities, EU agencies, researchers, civil society organisations and industry representatives to discuss how European research and innovation can support a more coordinated and operational response to illicit drugs and organised crime across the European Union.

The workshop explored the evolving challenges posed by illicit drug trafficking and related organised criminal activities, focusing on the intersection between security, public health, border management, intelligence, and technological innovation. Particular attention was dedicated to emerging threats, new psychoactive substances, cross-border criminal networks, operational intelligence, forensics, customs and border controls, as well as the societal impact of drugs-related crime, especially regarding youth vulnerability and exploitation.

ARIEN was represented during the event by project partners ENG (Salvatore Vicari and Ernesto La Mattina), CERTH (Athanasios Psaltis and Stefanos Vrochidis) and CENTRIC (Babak Akhgar). The project actively contributed to discussions addressing the role of advanced technologies, artificial intelligence and collaborative intelligence frameworks in strengthening European capabilities against illicit drug production and trafficking.

As part of the “Project Demos: Organised Crime & Markets” session, project Coordinator Ernesto La Mattina presented the ARIEN project and its main outcomes alongside several EU-funded security research initiatives focused on organised crime, criminal intelligence and operational innovation. The presentation highlighted ARIEN’s multidisciplinary approach to enhancing the intelligence picture surrounding illicit drug trafficking through sustainable AI-based tools, advanced analytics and secure information-sharing mechanisms designed to support Law Enforcement Agencies and EU security stakeholders.

The workshop also provided an important opportunity to exchange views on future priorities for European research and innovation in the fight against organised crime. Discussions throughout the event emphasised the importance of connecting research outcomes with operational needs, strengthening cooperation between policymakers and practitioners, and improving the uptake of innovative technologies by law enforcement communities.

In addition to project demonstrations, the event featured several thematic panels on drug markets and foresight, organised crime and violence, forensic science, border controls and operational deployment of innovative technologies. Topics such as AI-supported intelligence analysis, risk assessment, early warning systems, detection technologies and cross-border collaboration emerged as central elements for improving Europe’s resilience against evolving criminal threats.

ARIEN’s participation in the CERIS workshop reinforced the project’s commitment to contributing to a stronger European security ecosystem through innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration and operationally relevant research. The project consortium warmly thanks DG HOME and the CERIS community for organising this important initiative and for fostering meaningful dialogue between research, policy and operational stakeholders working towards safer and more secure societies across Europe.