NOTIONES network – New innovation action to prevent youth crime

A positive outcome for the NOTIONES network is the close collaboration between three consortium partners who have been successful in securing a new Horizon Europe Cluster 3 – Civil Security for Society research and innovation project, under the Fight Against Crime and Terrorism (FCT) programme.

SAHER (Europe) from Estonia, the Hochschule für den öffentlichen Dienst in Bayern from Germany, and Polícia Judiciária from Portugal joined forces last year to support Fondazione Bruno Kessler in Italy to develop a new project called IMAGINE (Integrating Methods, Awareness & Gamified Interventions for Next‑gen prevention of youth crime).

This project directly addressed the HORIZON‑CL3‑2025‑01‑FCT‑02 call “Open topic on prevention, detection and deterrence of various forms of crime and terrorism through an enhanced understanding of the related societal issues” (Option a: societal issues related to crime) and is co‑funded by the European Union (Grant Agreement number 101308662).

During a highly competitive call, the IMAGINE proposal was selected for funding and will co‑design, pilot, and rigorously evaluate an innovative Gamification & Digital Storytelling (GDS) training suite, featuring purpose‑built serious games, alongside harmonised, rights‑compliant curricula for Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs), Community SOs, and educators, embedding child‑safeguarding, privacy‑by‑design, and ethics throughout.

By reinforcing multi‑agency and interdisciplinary training, IMAGINE will streamline capacity‑building and deliver education and awareness for young people across formal and informal settings, with a specific focus on the prevention of juvenile delinquency.

Andrew Staniforth, Director of SAHER (Europe), stated: “The IMAGINE project will deliver multi‑country pilots in Belgium, Portugal and Romania, generating robust evidence on early, community‑anchored prevention, with targeted policy briefs and regulatory options guiding policymakers to align responses to youth crime with EU strategies.”

IMAGINE leverages innovative Gamification & Digital Storytelling (GDS) approaches, including purpose‑built serious games, and related digital and non‑digital tools to deliver key activities that directly address the challenges set out in the Horizon Europe security call.

The three‑year IMAGINE project commences on 1st September and is a shining example of the partnerships and close collaborations formed and developed within the NOTIONES consortium, providing an opportunity to continue cutting‑edge security research and innovation to tackle contemporary challenges, sustaining the legacy of the NOTIONES network.

Andrew Staniforth, Director of SAHER (Europe), states: “The IMAGINE project consortium partners will meet in Trento, Italy, next month to kick off the project, hosted by project coordinator Fondazione Bruno Kessler. We recognise the excellent work completed by Fondazione Bruno Kessler to coordinate the submission of an innovative approach to preventing youth crime. We are looking forward to developing our close collaboration with consortium partners established in NOTIONES, and to continue our efforts together to progress cutting‑edge research and innovation which has a positive impact upon preventing and reducing crime across Europe.”

Author(s):  Andrew Staniforth, SAHER Europe