INESC Coimbra is leading SHIELD-EU: European EdgeAI-Based Defence Architecture for Cognitive and Emotional Resilience in Hybrid Warfare Contexts, a research project coordinated by Jorge Sá Silva, researcher at INESC Coimbra.
The project was funded under the FCT DEFENCE + SCIENCE Call: 2025 Exploratory Research Projects, an initiative aimed at promoting exploratory research at the intersection of science, technology, and defence.
SHIELD-EU aims to develop an innovative defence architecture supported by intelligent Internet of Things technologies, Edge Artificial Intelligence, and cognitive, emotional, and behavioural models. By combining these domains, the project seeks to strengthen resilience against hybrid warfare threats, including scenarios where digital, informational, psychological, and operational dimensions interact in complex ways.
A central focus of SHIELD-EU is the development of human-centred technological solutions capable of supporting decision-making, situational awareness, and adaptive response in challenging and high-pressure environments. The project explores how EdgeAI can enable faster, more secure, and more autonomous processing of critical information, reducing dependence on centralised infrastructures and increasing operational robustness.
Through collaboration with the Portuguese Air Force, SHIELD-EU will contribute to the advancement of more resilient, sovereign, and human-centred European digital infrastructures. The project reinforces INESC Coimbra’s role in applied research at the intersection of intelligent systems, cybersecurity, defence innovation, and societal resilience.
By addressing emerging challenges in hybrid warfare contexts, SHIELD-EU aims to support Europe’s capacity to anticipate, withstand, and respond to complex threats while ensuring that technological development remains aligned with human factors, ethical principles, and strategic autonomy.
