Our Mission

TRANSCEND seeks to propose, test, and evaluate methodologies that can enable civil society including people with different security needs and vulnerabilities, to participate meaningfully in the development and deployment of security research and technologies.

The project will tailor existing and contribute new methods for meaningful participation that are themselves aligned with society’s needs and values. TRANSCEND seeks to pave the way for the effective and meaningful utilisation of these methods in real-world contexts to produce security solutions and technologies that are transparent, privacy-sensitive, open source, friendly and easy to use.

How will we achieve it?

TRANSCEND will develop a Toolbox of methods to enhance the involvement of civil society in security research and innovation. The Toolbox will be tested and evaluated in four pilots, each aligned with a security domain, and in close collaboration with diverse organisations by bringing together transdisciplinary actors from academia, government and the public sector, industry and society.

The Toolbox will be supplemented by ‘Framework’ guidelines on how to design and structure meaningful public engagement for security research technologies in each of the four pilot domains tailored to specific group needs. The Toolbox and supporting Framework will focus on engagement to understand societal impacts (often called ‘impact assessments’) as well as impact creation for ethical security innovations. The Framework will also include training modules for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and end-users on socially responsible innovation and research.