The objective of ADAC.io

The purpose of this project is to protect democracy in the EU by strengthening the ability to deny the intended effects of FIMI on society. This will be achieved with focused research that brings together some of the principal actors behind the intellectual and technical components of FIMI as it has been developed by the EEAS and other EU Institutions. The consortium of 7 organizations will work together to significantly develop upon current knowledge of how FIMI can be detected, categorised, analysed, shared, and countered. It will be achieved through a series of coordinated contributions to the DISARM Framework, the NATO-Hybrid COE Attribution Framework, STIX 2.1, OpenCTI, ABCDE, and the FIMI countermeasures toolbox. This approach acknowledges the importance of TTPs and common data handling standards to the ability to attribute FIMI actors, and further positions TTPs within the broader analytical processes that are necessary to developing countermeasures. In addition to establishing improved technical standards and operating procedures, the project will generate research knowledge that can support better decision-making about FIMI countermeasures. 

Partners: The grant project is coordinated by Lund University in Sweden. 

The grant consortium partners include: Debunk.org, an independent Lithuanian technology think tank; The Institute of Journalism at TU Dortmund University, the coordinating institution for GADMO, the German-Austrian hub of EDMO; Alliance4Europe, a pro-democracy NGO who specializes in managing communities; University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Poland; The Hague Program for Cyber Norms at Leiden University; and Security, Crime, and Intelligence Innovation Institute at Cardiff University. 

Timeline: 3 years (1 February 2024 – 31 January 2027)

Type of action: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

Call topic: Detecting, analysing and countering foreign information manipulation and interference (TOPIC ID: HORIZON-CL2-2023-DEMOCRACY-01-01)

Funding programme: Horizon Europe Framework programme