European Association for Biometrics launches pan European research initiative

The European Association for Biometrics announced a new pan European research initiative, the EAB-CITeR Consortium, modelled after the U.S.-based Center for Identification Technology Research.

The initiative is designed to further European R&D in biometrics by establishing a direct cooperation between European research institutes, industry and end users.

The EAB-CITeR Consortium operates as an independent consortium, established as an EAB Committee. Research institutes can only join the organization for free if they successfully bring end users and/or companies on board with them.

At every annual meeting, research institutes will have the chance to present their proposals to an EAB-CITeR selection committee comprised of end users and companies, delivered in a 10-minute elevator pitch that provides a brief description of their objectives, outcomes and methods.

Those proposals that are selected will be announced to the research institutes immediately after the selection committee meeting takes place, which drastically expedites the time-consuming process of obtaining research funding.

The research will be funded by the affiliates through an annual fee, and in exchange, they will receive a vote at the selection committee meetings and rights for further development and exploitation of the research results.

Only research institutes that are Consortium partners will be eligible to apply for research funded cooperatively by Consortium affiliates. Fees for becoming a Consortium affiliate range from 5.000 € to 20.000 € per year.

The EAB-CITeR Consortium is operated by the Swiss Center for Biometrics Research and Testing and chaired by Dr. Sebastien Marcel. The co-chair is Prof. Raymond Veldhuis, who is also chairman of the EAB Academia Special Interest Group.

“The EAB-CITeR is a major initiative for European research in biometrics and related identification technologies,” said Marcel. “If successful as in the US, the EAB-CITeR will provide a full scale of research opportunities in parallel of existing programs. The major difference is the compact and quick application process and the dynamics created by the involvement of end users and industry.”

The official inauguration of the EAB-CITeR will take place during the European Biometrics Symposium, which will be held in London at the National Physical Laboratory on February 25.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  biometrics research  |  CITeR  |  EAB  |  Europe  |  European Association for Biometrics  |  identification