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About SUNRISE

SUNRISE is an EU-funded project that aims to ensure greater availability, reliability and continuity of critical infrastructure in Europe including transport, energy, water and healthcare.

As Europe recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, its citizens and governments must futureproof society’s essential systems, facilities, services and structures. Responding to this challenge, the SUNRISE project has developed a series of technological solutions, workshops and a strategy that will improve the resilience of critical infrastructure against pandemics and other crisis scenarios.

The SUNRISE project is coordinated by the Spanish arm of the global cloud and digital service company, ATOS IT Solutions and Services Iberia SL, and consists of 41 partner organisations, including 18 public and private critical infrastructure operators and authorities. The project was awarded €10m in funding by the EU’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme.

SUNRISE Project Pillars

  • Strategy [link to Strategy page]

SUNRISE developed a strategy that will improve critical infrastructure resilience and business continuity during pandemics and times of crisis. The SUNRISE Strategy builds a precise model for pandemics and their common influences on critical infrastructure and enables pandemic-specific risk assessment and mitigation. This strategy is for operators of critical infrastructure and decision makers on a regional or national level.

  • Collaboration [link to Collaboration page]

SUNRISE hosted a series of workshops with critical infrastructure operators and authorities in Spain, Italy and Slovenia. These workshops enhanced knowledge, awareness and capacities for unity and resilience in Europe.

SUNRISE also organised EU-level online workshops to support cross-border cooperation and exchange best practices, discuss common issues, and find ways for critical infrastructure operators to better support each other in crises.

  • Technology [link to technology page]

SUNRISE developed four technological solutions that will improve the resilience and continuity of critical infrastructure. These four solutions are:

  • The Risk-Based Access Control (RiBAC) Solution, which minimises the exposure of essential workers in critical facilities during pandemics or similar events. [link to this solution’s page]
  • The Demand Prediction and Management Solution, which predicts the demand for vital resources during emergency scenarios, including physical, digital and human services. [link to this solution’s page]
  • The Cyber-Physical Resilience Solution, which ensures a reliable, robust and continuous operation of digital services by identifying the first stages of cyber-attacks and threats. [link to this solution’s page]
  • The Remote Physical Infrastructure Inspection Solution, which ensures resilience and continuity of critical services during periods with fewer available skilled workers while addressing more frequent and extreme natural disasters. [link to this solution’s page]

Pilots

The four technological solutions were piloted in real-world conditions across Europe: [link to project pilot page].

Objectives

The SUNRISE project’s objectives include:

  • Facilitating collaboration, cooperation and unity among public and private critical infrastructure operators and competent authorities in different critical sectors within and across borders in Europe and discouraging them from working in isolation.
  • Understanding the pandemic-specific vital services and critical infrastructure in Europe, their interactions and interdependencies, and the risks and cascading effects among them. This will enable the definition of effective measures that are aligned with the needs of European societies, economies and climate, and provide better preparedness for and resilience to future health crises.
  • Significantly, directly and immediately increasing resilience of critical infrastructure; improving the safety, wellbeing and trust of citizens; and supporting the move towards climate-friendly operations across Europe.