Overview[]
The European Reference Network for Critical Infrastructure Protection (ERN-CIP) was created by the European Commission to "foster the emergence of innovative, qualified, efficient and competitive security solutions, through networking of European experimental capabilities." It aims to link together existing European laboratories and facilities to carry out critical infrastructure-related security experiments and test new technology, such as detection equipment.
The IPSC set up the ERN-CIP project in 2009. The preparatory phase was successfully completed in November 2010 and the project started its implementation phase in 2011.
ERN-CIP is a direct response to the lack of harmonised EU-wide testing or certification for CIP products and services, which is a barrier to future development and market acceptance of security solutions.