On 5 February 2020, Frontex and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs signed Terms of Reference (ToR) to enhance their collaboration in the development of state-of-the-art technology for the border and coast guard community. Under the ToR, Frontex has been asked to identify research activities addressing capability gaps in the following areas: surveillance, situational awareness, biometrics, cybersecurity, and information availability and exchange. These gaps are to be translated into requirements for research solutions.

Furthermore, Frontex shall contribute to the development of solutions by facilitating their operational testing and validation within the framework of Frontex Joint Operations and in cooperation with national authorities. In order to better address national as well as its own operational needs, the Agency shall also monitor the outcomes of research and assess their operational relevance. Successful results shall be disseminated and exploited in order to facilitate their market uptake and use. Lastly, with the results and knowledge obtained from the Border Security research and innovation projects, Frontex will contribute to national capability development planning and the generation of the European Border and Coast Guard capability roadmaps.