With increasing threats and a €2bn EU Commission research budget, security is big business - and Irish firms can certainly play their part, writes DAVID LABANYI.

THE ARRIVAL of a booklet on emergency planning in Irish homes in recent weeks is one indicator of the attention being given to a future catastrophe.

Bombings in London and Madrid, along with the devastation of New Orleans, have focused minds on the future of the European security agenda and in particular what the security sector needs and what its citizens will accept. Because security is a sovereign issue, the member states have decided against leaving all decisions on security research and innovation to the European Commission.

Instead, they have set up a voluntary, independent group to devise a policy for European security research and innovation. It will make recommendations about where and on what the Commission will spend its €2 billion security research budget.

The European Security Research and Innovation Forum (Esrif) was set up on September 11th, 2007 and its work will culminate in a report next year. Esrif is trying to assess current and future threats and to balance the response proposed by the security industry with concerns of civilians.

Because the security agenda is vast: covering anti-terror measures, the collapse of critical infrastructure and interruptions to food, water and energy supplies, Esrif has split its work into 11 working groups, one of which is chaired by Irishwoman Eleanor Travers.

Travers had been aviation security manager with the Dublin Airport Authority for almost seven years before leaving earlier this year to form her own company, Transport Security Ltd. She is also an auditor with the European Civil Aviation Conference, one of the bodies tasked with governing civil aviation and inspecting airport security.

She accepts that current security measures, particularly at airports, can be oppressive. "Look at the Irish airports. You have 15 million passengers a year enduring security. So when thinking about the future we have to be careful that the level of security does not become so onerous that we hamper people's movement".

"Security is not just a matter of safeguarding people. No one likes being searched crossing a border or in an airport or to think they are under constant surveillance. The public must have a voice in terms of how much Big Brother surveillance they are going to be under and by whom. And that is one of the key strands of Esrif."

Her working group is dealing with threats facing critical infrastructure ranging from terrorist attacks to natural disasters and systems failures.

Another task is building up the links between people. "When something happens within one country, everyone knows the key players and who to call. In Ireland on September 11th everyone knew the key people and just got on with a response. On a European level that is not so clear."

Her working group comprises over 120 people, mostly security experts and senior government officials, and it is working to forecast the medium and long-term threats for critical infrastructure.

"The challenge is how best to secure this infrastructure, find any gaps that exist, and decide how to improve the protection of key installations such as power stations, water supply and communications networks through research and innovation."

"The scope of Esrif is huge. Just within my working group we are looking at border security, the chemical, biological and nuclear industries, transport, food and communications, to name but a few."

Travers is keen to stress that the outcome is not necessarily going to mean ever-greater levels of security.

"Take airports. We have a well-established security system. Metal detectors were introduced in the 1970s when the threat was hi-jacking. Later screening of bags for explosives was introduced. And the fall back is the body search.

An example of emerging technology is a generation of new airport scanners being developed by Cork-based Farran Technology. These use millimetre wave technology to produce a thermal image. If an item is close to the body and obscuring the thermal signature, security staff can ask for it to be removed, without having to search the passenger.

According to Travers, flexibility is the ultimate form of security. "If you can be flexible about your measures it means someone cannot anticipate what they are going to face when they go through security.

"It is also about layers of security and deciding on what is the right combination at any one time. If you rely on only one element of course it will fail. The problem is that most legal systems are not designed to turn on and off," she says.

Although focused on research and innovation, Esrif is also asking how much security people want and what restrictions on personal freedom are acceptable, if any.

Once the report is published, Travers is hopeful that Ireland will be in a position to compete for security research funding.

"This is where Enterprise Ireland comes into its own. They have been working for a long time on this issue trying to interest Irish companies in the opportunities available from research funding," she said. Travers says the aim of Esrif is to "find technologies that enable freedom, not constrain it. We are not looking to build a cage around Europe."