EINSTEIN sits within a broader European research ecosystem on border security, biometrics, and identity management that has been active for more than a decade. Some projects are predecessors whose results EINSTEIN directly builds upon; others are current Horizon Europe projects running in parallel, tackling complementary aspects of the same challenge. This page provides an overview of the most closely related projects, with a note on how each connects to EINSTEIN's work.
The EU Border Security Research Ecosystem
EINSTEIN is one of several concurrent and successive Horizon Europe projects advancing border security and identity verification. All share core themes of biometrics, fraud detection, privacy by design, and GDPR compliance.
Currently Running · Horizon Europe 2024–2027
Projects running in parallel with EINSTEIN
These Horizon Europe projects were launched under the same 2023 call (HORIZON-CL3-2023-BM-01) and are running concurrently with EINSTEIN. They address complementary aspects of the broader challenge — biometrics on the move, vehicle border checks, multi-modal identity verification, and EUDI wallet integration — and EINSTEIN coordinates with them through the LEA Projects Cluster and joint dissemination activities.
SafeTravellers: Secure and Frictionless Identity for EU and Third Country National Citizens
Horizon Europe · GA No. 101121269 · 23 partners · 14 countries · €7.4M
SafeTravellers proposes a new approach to citizen identification based on multiple biometrics — replacing reliance on the physical identity document at the border — combined with enhanced verification tools to detect attacks on biometric hardware, document fraud, and attempts to falsify biometrics. A key innovation is the European Multi-Biometric Data Space (EMBDS): a distributed framework using homomorphic encryption that allows cross-border biometric checks without transferring or revealing personal data. Field pilots are being conducted at airport, land, sea, and rail borders across multiple EU countries.
EINSTEIN connection: Both projects address morphing attack detection and document fraud. SafeTravellers focuses on multi-modal biometric identification as a replacement for documents; EINSTEIN focuses on document authentication and fraud detection as a complement to existing document-based systems. The projects share several consortium members and coordinate through joint dissemination.
CarMen: Non-Stop Biometric Border Control for Secure and Efficient Crossing
Horizon Europe · GA No. 101168325 · Running Sep 2024 – Aug 2027
CarMen develops scalable, fully automated biometric systems for non-stop identification of travellers in multiple modes of transport — on foot, in cars, in coaches, and in lorries. It uses face, iris, and periocular recognition with Digital Travel Credentials (DTCs), handling challenging conditions including poor lighting and vehicle windows. Presentation attack detection runs on moving travellers in real time. Field demonstrations are conducted at the UK-France border using infrastructure provided by Brittany Ferries, with French and UK border authorities as operational partners.
EINSTEIN connection: CarMen and EINSTEIN share a focus on biometrics on the move and Digital Travel Credentials. Where EINSTEIN's Fast-Track Corridor targets enrolled pedestrian travellers at a pre-defined lane, CarMen extends to vehicles in motion. Both projects include NTNU as a partner and coordinate through joint EU dissemination events.
PopEye: Robust Privacy-Preserving Biometric Technologies for Passengers' Identification and Verification at EU External Borders
Horizon Europe · GA No. 101168317 · EAB-coordinated · €3.2M · Oct 2024 – 2027
PopEye investigates advanced biometric modalities for on-the-move passenger identification — going beyond fingerprints and 2D facial images to include iris recognition at distance, periocular recognition, and gait recognition. The integration of gait — analysing a person's walking pattern — with other biometrics is a distinctive feature, extending recognition to scenarios where cooperative interaction with a sensor is impossible. Field pilots are conducted at land and sea borders in Romania and Finland, under a range of conditions including night-time and poor lighting.
EINSTEIN connection: PopEye's work on on-the-move iris and face recognition is directly complementary to EINSTEIN's Fast-Track Biometric Corridor application. NTNU's Norwegian Biometrics Laboratory participates in both projects. The European Association for Biometrics (EAB) coordinates PopEye's pilot programme and hosts the Research Projects Conference at which EINSTEIN also presents.
AutoBorder: Innovating Secure and Efficient Border Management Through Vehicle-Integrated Technologies
Horizon Europe · GA No. 101225829 · CERTH-coordinated · €3M
AutoBorder focuses specifically on vehicle border checks, integrating advanced biometrics with in-car sensors connected to vehicles' Infotainment and Control Electronics (ICE) systems. Travellers use Digital Travel Credentials and pre-registration to streamline the crossing process; in-car sensors support identity monitoring, real-time alerts for unauthorised access, and predictive threat detection analytics. Pilot studies are planned at two EU border control points: UK-France and Moldova-Romania. AutoBorder explicitly builds on the results of EINSTEIN and the earlier SMILE and D4FLY projects.
EINSTEIN connection: AutoBorder is coordinated by CERTH — EINSTEIN's project coordinator — and includes the University of Reading and IDEMIA Public Security as consortium partners, both also in EINSTEIN. AutoBorder explicitly cites EINSTEIN as a foundational predecessor project.
OnMoveID: On-the-Move Schengen Border Control Using Extended EUDI Wallet, Smartphone and External Sensor Technologies
Horizon Europe · GA No. 101225635 · University of Ljubljana (coord.) · €5.7M · Sep 2025 – Aug 2028
OnMoveID leverages the computational and sensor capabilities of standard smartphones — combined with external sensors — for fast, privacy-preserving, on-the-move identification of travellers at all types of Schengen border crossings: land, sea, and air. A distinctive feature is its integration with the extended EU Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet framework. The three-phase process covers: (1) a one-time ~10-minute pre-registration via a trusted EUDI wallet in which biometric face images and fingerprints are captured using the smartphone camera and stored; (2) a backup 5-minute registration at a border desk using AI-powered document scanning and digital identity generation; and (3) walk-through lane verification using live biometric capture matched against the pre-registered wallet data. Field tests are conducted at borders in Finland, Slovakia, and the UK.
EINSTEIN connection: OnMoveID and EINSTEIN share a focus on EUDI wallet integration, Digital Travel Credentials, and on-the-move biometric verification. Where EINSTEIN's Fast-Track Corridor uses dedicated biometric capture hardware, OnMoveID pushes the capability further towards commodity smartphones as the primary sensor. Both projects address the same traveller journey — pre-registration, DTC, live biometric match — from complementary technical angles. The University of Reading is a partner in OnMoveID, creating a direct institutional link with EINSTEIN.
Predecessor Projects · Horizon 2020
The H2020 projects that laid EINSTEIN's foundations
EINSTEIN did not start from scratch. Several Horizon 2020 projects delivered the algorithms, datasets, evaluation platforms, and operational knowledge that EINSTEIN builds directly upon. Their results — published papers, open datasets, validated tools, and trained end-user partners — form the scientific and operational foundation of the project.
D4FLY: Detecting Document Fraud and Identity on the Fly
Horizon 2020 · GA No. 833704 · 19 partners · 11 countries
D4FLY developed advanced automated solutions for document and biometric identity verification on the fly — at border control points without requiring the traveller to stop. Applications included automated document authentication, biometric verification at eGates, and fraud detection in travel documents. D4FLY laid much of the technical groundwork for EINSTEIN's applications in document authentication and the Fast-Track Biometric Corridor, and several EINSTEIN consortium members (including the University of Reading, CERTH, and IDEMIA Public Security) participated in D4FLY.
EINSTEIN builds on: Document authentication algorithms, biometric verification on-the-move approaches, and end-user operational requirements established in D4FLY. Multiple EINSTEIN partners are D4FLY alumni.
iMARS: Identity Matching and Recognition at Scale
Horizon 2020 · GA No. 883356
iMARS focused specifically on morphing attack detection — the problem of identifying composite facial images created by blending two people's faces into a single photograph — and document fraud detection more broadly. iMARS developed the Bologna Online Evaluation Platform (BOEP), which provides independent, reproducible evaluation of morphing attack detection algorithms and remains a key benchmark for the field. Mobai, an EINSTEIN consortium partner specialising in morphing attack detection and mobile biometrics, participated in iMARS and carries that work directly into EINSTEIN.
EINSTEIN builds on: iMARS morphing attack detection algorithms, the BOEP evaluation platform (which EINSTEIN uses for benchmarking), and Mobai's expertise developed under iMARS. EINSTEIN's MAD evaluation methodology directly references iMARS results.
PROTECT: Pervasive and UseR Focused BiomeTrics BordEr ProjeCT
Horizon 2020 · GA No. 700259
PROTECT developed and evaluated a multibiometric corridor concept for fast, frictionless border crossings — using face, iris, and fingerprint recognition for traveller identification on the move without requiring them to stop. This is the direct predecessor to EINSTEIN's Fast-Track Biometric Corridor application, providing foundational research on capture hardware, biometric fusion, and the operational requirements for corridor-style border crossing. PROTECT included field trials at Schiphol Airport.
EINSTEIN builds on: PROTECT's corridor architecture, biometric fusion methodology, and field evaluation results directly inform EINSTEIN's Fast-Track Corridor design. Veridos GmbH, which leads EINSTEIN's corridor application, drew on PROTECT's findings.
SMILE: Smart Mobility at the Border
Horizon 2020 · GA No. 786439
SMILE developed novel mobility concepts for managing people flows at land border infrastructures, with a particular focus on pre-registration, Digital Travel Credentials, and streamlining the crossing process for pre-enrolled frequent travellers. It examined the integration of biometric verification into pre-registration workflows at land border crossing points — directly informing EINSTEIN's Land Border Pre-Registration application, which is being field-tested at the Promachonas-Kulata crossing on the Greece-Bulgaria border. AutoBorder also explicitly builds on SMILE's results.
EINSTEIN builds on: SMILE's pre-registration architecture, DTC integration approach, and operational learnings from land border deployment scenarios.
PERSONA: Privacy, Ethics and Security for Biometric Border Infrastructure
Horizon 2020 · GA No. 787123
PERSONA developed an integrated impact assessment method specifically designed for no-gate crossing solutions — automated border crossings where travellers are verified without stopping at a physical gate. It addressed the ELSI (ethical, legal, and social implications) challenges of biometric border infrastructure, developing frameworks for privacy impact assessment, data protection by design, and public acceptability evaluation. Trilateral Research, EINSTEIN's ethics and legal partner, contributed to PERSONA and carries those methodologies into EINSTEIN's ELSI work.
EINSTEIN builds on: PERSONA's ELSI assessment frameworks and privacy-by-design methodologies, carried into EINSTEIN by Trilateral Research. EINSTEIN's ethics programme applies and extends PERSONA's approach across all six applications.
FLEXI-CROSS: Flexible and Adaptable Border Crossing Solutions
Horizon 2020
FLEXI-CROSS focused on the deployment and continuous validation of a toolkit of innovative border-checking solutions in real operational environments. It addressed the challenge of adapting border checking technology to a wide variety of crossing scenarios — different nationalities, document types, and operational conditions — and evaluated these systems against real traveller populations. Its focus on operational validation and cross-environment deployment directly informed the design of EINSTEIN's field test programme.
EINSTEIN builds on: FLEXI-CROSS's operational validation methodology and experience of deploying border checking tools across diverse real-world environments.
Broader Ecosystem
Agency relationships and cross-project coordination
Beyond project-to-project connections, EINSTEIN engages with the broader EU border security and research ecosystem through formal agency relationships and cross-project coordination bodies.
LEA Projects Cluster
The Law Enforcement Agencies Projects Cluster, coordinated by Privanova, brings together over 50 EU-funded security research and innovation projects. EINSTEIN is a formal member, enabling coordination on dissemination, exploitation, and policy engagement across the broader EU security research community.
LEA Projects Cluster →Frontex — European Border and Coast Guard Agency
EINSTEIN has established a formal connection with Frontex through a joint workshop in December 2025. Frontex monitors and supports all Horizon Europe border security projects and provides operational requirements and practitioner perspectives to research consortia. EINSTEIN's results are being made available to Frontex for operational assessment.
Frontex research programme →eu-LISA — EU Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems
eu-LISA is responsible for the operational management of the Entry/Exit System (EES), the Visa Information System (VIS), and Eurodac. EINSTEIN's Smart EES Kiosk application, led by IDEMIA Public Security, has been developed in close alignment with eu-LISA's EES specifications. EINSTEIN presented research to eu-LISA in December 2025.
eu-LISA →European Association for Biometrics (EAB)
The EAB coordinates the annual EAB Research Projects Conference (EAB-RPC), the leading European forum for EU-funded biometrics research. EINSTEIN will present at EAB-RPC 2026 (13th edition, 16–17 September 2026, Fraunhofer IGD Darmstadt). The EAB also coordinates the PopEye project pilots, creating a direct link between EAB-connected projects and EINSTEIN.
European Association for Biometrics →Page last updated: May 2026. For a full list of related EU-funded border security research projects, visit the Frontex research innovation page and the European Commission DG Home Affairs portal. For EINSTEIN publications, datasets, and open-source tools, visit our Zenodo community.