KEMEA

Universities and research partners

The Center for Security Studies (KEMEA) is a think tank on homeland security policies and an established research center since 2005 (L. 3387/2005) within the Hellenic Ministry of Citizen Protection (former Ministry of Public Order and Citizen Protection), aiming to support security policy implementations in Greece, at a strategic level. Specifically, the activities KEMEA is involved in include a) research and development in the context of National and European projects in close cooperation with LEAs, working under the auspices of the Ministry of Citizen Protection b) training of practitioners in new systems and technologies and c) the certification of practitioners in private security professions at the national level, The Center also provides advisory and consulting services to the Ministry of Citizen Protection, as well as other Public and Private authorities, on safety and security issues. A main objective of KEMEA is to bring together all national Law Enforcement Agencies (Police, Fire Service, Coast Guard, Civil Protection agency, etc.) and to enable them to collaborate, interconnecting them with corresponding agencies, research institutions and the industry from around Europe. This dedicated approach to exploring synergies, establishing communication links and working together to produce end-user driven research on all fronts of the Security Sector during the last decade, has earned KEMEA its participation in numerous National and EC R&D projects. KEMEA is a member of several European associations and organizations and it represented the Greek Government as a member of the “European Security Research and Innovation Forum (ESRIF)”. Amongst other associations and organizations, KEMEA is a member of the “Public Safety Communication Europe Forum (PSCE)”, the “European Association of Research and Technology Organizations” and has established links to the ENLETS community (European Network of Law Enforcement Technology Services). Furthermore, KEMEA is appointed as the Greek “National Contact Point” for the implementation of Directive 2008/114/EC, regarding the protection of European Critical Infrastructures. KEMEA currently employs 123 highly qualified and experienced researchers and Security experts, including 12 active officers from LEAs, plus 50 active officers as external associates. These researchers and experts are specialized in various topics such as: Border Management and Surveillance, Smart Borders, Crisis Management, Emergency Response, GIS, Hazardous Materials, Information Security, Cyber Security, Cyber Crime Information Systems, Telecommunications, Ad Hoc Networks, Civil Protection, Operational Readiness Exercises, Statistics, International Relations, Transportation Security and European Policy, Procurements, Law and Ethics, Dissemination, Communication & Exploitation etc. Furthermore, regarding its capacity and under its constitutional law, KEMEA, if needed, can additionally utilize personnel and assets of the Hellenic Ministry of Citizen Protection, in order to fulfil specific tasks of various projects; this equates to a staff pool of over 70,000 people being readily available.