About

About NetSec

An inclusive, multidisciplinary network bridging Europe's intellectual and analytical communities on security, across academia, policy, and practice. NetSec is COST Action CA24154, running from October 2025 to October 2029.

The Action

The Action fosters synergies across national and local epistemic communities, bridges the academia–policy divide, and addresses gender and generational imbalances in the field. Through interdisciplinary research, annual conferences, policy workshops, a mentorship programme, and a summer school, NetSec contributes to a cohesive European security studies community. Its work is organised across four Working Groups, from building the network to fostering the next generation of scholars.

By connecting academic, policy, and practitioner communities across the continent, NetSec advances Europe's strategic autonomy in an increasingly complex global security environment.

1

Inclusive Network for Knowledge Exchange

Building a multidisciplinary community across academia, policy, and practice.

2

Translating Knowledge into Policy Impact

Closing the gap between research and decision-making on European security.

3

Developing Skills, Methods & Tools

Equipping the next generation of security scholars to address fragmentation.

In numbers

51 Management Committee members across 31 countries
145 Working Group members
33 have joined the Directory

Timeline & Deliverables

M Planned M Delivered M Delivered early M = month from start

↔ Scroll horizontally to see the full timeline

Deliverable
Year 12025 – 2026
Year 22026 – 2027
Year 32027 – 2028
Year 42028 – 2029
Quarter
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
D1First version of NetSec directory (updated regularly)
M6
M12
D2First draft of manifesto
M15
D3Evaluation report on NetSec directory usage
M45
D4Final version of manifesto
M36
D5Summary report on annual conferences
M45
D6Draft and publication of policy briefs
M12
M24
M36
M45
D7Evaluation reports & adjusting mentoring initiative
M18
M30
M42
D8Planning Guidelines of Short-Term Scientific Missions & grant system
M9
D9Strategy for a working structure
M6
D10First draft risk management strategy (updated as needed)
M10
D11Publication of Inclusion and Diversity Declaration on the NetSec website
M15
D12Environmental sustainability guidelines for all project activities
M12

Leadership

Action Leadership

Mr Eugenio Sánchez
Science Communication Coordinator

Mr Eugenio Sánchez

Outreach & dissemination

Dr Eliza Gheorghe
Grant Awarding Coordinator

Dr Eliza Gheorghe

Co-lead: Dr Chiara Libiseller

Working Group Leadership

Dr Moritz Weiss
WG1 · Building the Network

Dr Moritz Weiss

Co-lead: Prof Filip Ejdus

Dr John Helferich
WG2 · Transfer of Knowledge

Dr John Helferich

Co-lead: Ms Alisa Kerschbaum

Dr Chiara Ruffa
WG3 · Fostering the Next Generation of Scholars

Dr Chiara Ruffa

Co-lead: Dr Silvia D'Amato

Dr Revecca Pedi
WG4 · Inclusion, Representativeness & Ethics

Dr Revecca Pedi

Co-lead: Dr Šárka Kolmašová

Working Group Co-Leaders

Prof Filip Ejdus
WG1 Co-Leader

Prof Filip Ejdus

University of Belgrade

Ms Alisa Kerschbaum
WG2 Co-Leader

Ms Alisa Kerschbaum

University of Amsterdam

Dr Silvia D'Amato
WG3 Co-Leader

Dr Silvia D'Amato

James Madison University

Dr Šárka Kolmašová
WG4 Co-Leader

Dr Šárka Kolmašová

Metropolitan University Prague

Dr Chiara Libiseller
Grant Awarding Co-Lead

Dr Chiara Libiseller

King's College London

Management Committee by Country

Representatives from each participating COST Member country. Country reps shape the Action's direction together with the Working Group leadership.

51 Management Committee representatives
31 countries represented
≈ 51% women representatives

approximate, inferred from first names

52 founding contributors 21 countries Meet the founding cohort
Show all 31 countries Hide list
Albania
  • Dr Noela Mahmutaj
  • Dr Edlira Titini
Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Dr Jasmin Ahić
  • Dr Kenan Hodžić
Bulgaria
  • Prof Anna Krasteva
Croatia
  • Dr Sandra Cvikić
  • Dr Senada Šelo Šabić
Cyprus
  • Dr Constantinos Adamides
  • Dr Eleni Christodoulou
Denmark
  • Prof Olivier Schmitt
Finland
  • Dr Aija Lulle
France
  • Dr Hugo Meijer
  • Dr Chiara Ruffa
Georgia
  • Dr David Matsaberidze
Germany
  • Prof Marina Henke
Greece
  • Prof Pavlos Ioannis Koktsidis
  • Dr Revecca Pedi
Iceland
  • Mr Brynjolfur Stefansson
Ireland
  • Dr Daniel O'Toole
  • Dr Liliana Pasquale
Lithuania
  • Dr Anželika Banevičienė
  • Dr Margarita Šešelgytė
Moldova
  • Prof Serghei Sprincean
  • Dr Vladimir Sterpu
Montenegro
  • Mr Danilo Kalezić
Netherlands
  • Ms Alisa Kerschbaum
  • Dr Marie Robin
North Macedonia
  • Dr Kire Babanoski
  • Prof Daniela Mechkaroska
Norway
  • Prof Monika Gabriela Bartoszewicz
Poland
  • Dr Kalina Lubas
  • Prof Paulina Polko
Portugal
  • Dr Laura Íñigo Álvarez
Romania
  • Dr Aura Marcela Preda
  • Mr Laurentiu Soneriu
Serbia
  • Prof Filip Ejdus
  • Dr Vesna Nikolić
Slovakia
  • Prof Jaroslav Usiak
Slovenia
  • Mr Miha Dvojmoč
  • Dr Tanja Pavleska
Spain
  • Prof Carmen Márquez Carrasco
Sweden
  • Dr Anna Danielsson
  • Mr Henrique Garbino
Switzerland
  • Dr Gürkan Gür
  • Dr Arthur Laudrain
Türkiye
  • Prof Pinar Bilgin
  • Dr Eliza Gheorghe
Ukraine
  • Dr Dmytro Uzlov
  • Mr Vladyslav Vilihura
United Kingdom
  • Dr John Helferich
  • Dr Marco Wyss

Founding contributors

NetSec was proposed under COST Open Call OC-2024-1-27931, submitted by Dr Hugo Meijer (Sciences Po, Paris). Fifty-two researchers across twenty-one countries committed to the Action at founding. The current Management Committee, shown above, expanded from this cohort as further COST Member countries ratified participation after the Open Call.

52 founding contributors
21 countries committed at founding
23 indicated availability for MC

as recorded in the Open Call proposal. Current MC composition differs

Show all 21 founding countries Hide list

Sourced from the published Open Call proposal. To request removal from this listing, please use the contact form. The data controller is Universiteit Leiden, per the Privacy Notice.

Frequently asked questions

A sample of the most-asked questions, with the full set on the dedicated FAQ page.

Read all 21 FAQ entries →

Glossary

Core COST + NetSec terms that appear most often across the site, with the full set on the dedicated glossary page.

Action
A four-year, EU-funded research network.
COST
European Cooperation in Science and Technology.
CA24154
The official Action number for NetSec.
MoU
Memorandum of Understanding.
MC Member
A Management Committee representative.
ECI
Early Career Investigator.
STSM
Short-Term Scientific Mission.
Working Group (WG)
A thematic sub-team of the Action.

Browse the full glossary →

Relationship with EISS

NetSec emerged from work begun at the European Initiative for Security Studies (EISS), and continues to share venues, scholars, and a research orientation with the EISS network. The full text of this section is being drafted by the Action Chair and WG4 lead. It will spell out the institutional links, the joint conference + summer school arrangements with EISS, and the boundaries between the two endeavours.

Draft pending, content owner: Action Chair + WG4 lead.