ARMADILLO at the ARIEN Stakeholders Meeting in Maribor

On 25 September 2025, the ARMADILLO project had the privilege to participate in the ARIEN Stakeholders Meeting held in Maribor, Slovenia, and hosted by the Institute for Corporative Security Studies (ICS). The event gathered consortium partners, law enforcement representatives, researchers, and security practitioners from across Europe to exchange insights and explore opportunities for collaboration.

The meeting agenda included presentations from several Horizon Europe projects, such as ARIEN, ARMADILLO, VANGUARD, PERIVALLON, and PARSEC, followed by an engaging roundtable discussion on cross-project synergies. ARMADILLO presented its innovative approach to tackling drug-facilitated crimes through advanced detection tools and AI-driven forensic intelligence, reinforcing our commitment to supporting law enforcement authorities with practical, field-ready solutions.

The discussions highlighted how projects like VANGUARD EU and ARMADILLO EU, in which the Murcia Police Department and Ayuntamiento de Murcia are directly involved, can work together to strengthen European capabilities in crime prevention and response. It was particularly valuable to exchange views with colleagues from the Centre for Research & Technology Hellas (CERTH), the Finnish Ministry of the Interior, CENTRIC, and NCSR “DEMOKRITOS”, exploring how each initiative contributes to building safer and more resilient societies.

We extend our special thanks to Marko Mihalič and the entire ICS team for their warm hospitality and excellent organization. Their professionalism and dedication created the perfect setting for meaningful dialogue and collaboration.

For ARMADILLO, the Maribor meeting reaffirmed the importance of joint efforts and knowledge-sharing across EU security projects. We look forward to continuing this exchange and building strong bridges with our sister initiatives to deliver lasting impact on the ground.