The rapidly evolving New Psychoactive Substance (NPS) market and the growing number of substances requiring monitoring have challenged early warning efforts in recent years. With the exponential rise in illicit drug classes, the focus has shifted from searching substances to preliminarily identifying them as illicit, particularly when dealing with new drugs.

Modern instruments with updated libraries now enable rapid drug identification.

Traditional forensic analysis methods are less effective for screening either the parent drugs or their metabolites due to limited structural data and a lack of commercial reference materials.

NARCOSIS aims at developing a fast, robust and reliable non-targeted multidisciplinary approach to harmonise investigations in Drug Related Deaths and drug-related operations by means of an up-to-date and updateable diagnostic platform.

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ARIEN – Artificial Intelligence in Fighting Illicit Drug Production and Trafficking is an EU-funded project (Horizon 2020, GA No. 101121329) aligned with the 2021–2025 EU Drugs Action Plan. It leverages AI and a holistic innovation approach to develop a real-time intelligence framework for monitoring drug production and trafficking across the EU. Through multidisciplinary, co-created research, ARIEN addresses criminological, societal, and legal aspects, providing ethical, modular AI tools to support law enforcement. It enhances capabilities to monitor online drug markets, detect physical hotspots via social media, and analyze emerging crime networks. ARIEN also fosters international cooperation among EU and non-EU agencies to disrupt drug-related criminal activity.

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PERIVALLON aims to strengthen the fight against organised environmental crime by developing innovative tools for prevention, detection, investigation, and environmental impact assessment. The project supports enhanced investigative methods, targeted training for authorities, improved international cooperation, and contributes to policy shaping through tailored recommendations.

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EXIS aims to develop a multidisciplinary police reporting approach that effectively responds to crimes against LGBTIQ+ people through capacity building activities based on identified needs and gaps, and peer-to-peer learning techniques. EXIS project focuses on increasing knowledge the intersectoral approach, strengthening the multi-disciplinary cooperation among police officers, CSOs and other relative services to efficiently respond to the needs of LGBTIQ+ people.

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BORDERLINK is a Horizon Europe research and innovation project that strengthens the ability of customs and border authorities to manage cross-border risks through improved interoperability, advanced technologies, and targeted capacity building. The project addresses the full border control lifecycle, from early risk assessment and non-intrusive inspection to post-seizure investigation and sustainable handling of seized goods, with a strong focus on Green Customs and coordinated border management.

The project delivers ten innovations, structured across five Innovation Areas. These include enhanced data interoperability for risk assessment in inland waterways; a comprehensive suite of non-intrusive inspection solutions such as standardised X-ray test units, certified operator training, synthetic X-ray image libraries, and a federated image-sharing database; and advanced material identification through an interoperable cloud library of Raman spectra. Together, these innovations improve detection capabilities, operational consistency, and cross-border information exchange among customs authorities.

BORDERLINK also addresses post-seizure activities and cross-cutting needs by introducing eco-friendly recycling services and intelligence databases for seized cigarettes, alongside educational games on Green Customs and the BORDERLINK Observatory, which monitors emerging technologies, policies, and innovations relevant to border management. Through these complementary innovations, BORDERLINK contributes to more effective, sustainable, and intelligence-driven border controls.

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CosmoPort is an EU-funded project developing a mobile scanning system to support the non-intrusive detection of drugs, explosives and other illicit goods in parcels and cargo. The project combines Atmospheric Ray Tomography (ART), using naturally occurring cosmic-ray muons, with artificial intelligence and machine learning to support 3D imaging, material classification and risk assessment for customs and border security authorities. By using natural background particles rather than an artificial radiation source, the system is designed for flexible deployment beyond fixed inspection facilities.

CosmoPort’s system is being piloted in Estonia, Finland, Latvia and Greece. Its use cases cover airport security and cargo checks, courier logistics centres, small-scale maritime cargo inspections, and complementary screening alongside existing X-ray systems. Alongside technology development, the project brings together researchers, technology developers and security practitioners through field testing, training, and knowledge exchange to help align its solutions with operational needs.

CosmoPort is funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No. 101121379.

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