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Description
The broad availability of data has led to increasing interest in methods for extracting useful information from data. Therefore, in the process of understanding and mitigating risks and opportunities of big data, complex workloads, new skills and competences have to be acquired. The Theseus project helps governance, social scientists and national security practitioners understand the working principles and processes of big data, so as to develop adaptive models of action, and ability to extract useful knowledge.
Within the project, the National Intelligence Academy in Romania MVNIA (expertise in training security practitioners) the Romanian Center for Civic Participation and Democracy SNSPA (expertise in civic behavior and participation), the University of Malta UoM (expertise in privacy law and policy development) and Norwegian University of Science and Technology NTNU (expertise in big data analyses, digital forensic and applied computer science research for police and intelligence investigations) join expertise and elaborate 4 teaching modules course and an interactive training resource on data analysis, and enhance target grup’s key-competences and skills on data organization and analysis. The course’ final version will be deployed during 2 intensive training programmes (IP), organized in Romania and Malta.
Summary of project results
The Theseus project address the challenge generated by the information technology revolution and the Big Data algorithms directly impacting the production of knowledge and the decision making processes. Hence, realizing that nowadays it becomes increasingly important for professionals in governance, social sciences, security to understand and integrate in their work new information technologies in general and big data processing and analysis in particular, the consortium partners set out to enhance the quality and relevance of education in the field, equipping future professionals in governance, security and political science with the right tools to understand, correlate in an ethical manner and expand data knowledge for social good.
The consortium made of: the National Intelligence Academy "Mihai Viteazul" MVNIA (RO), the Political and Administrative National School, SNSPA (RO), University of Malta UOM (MA) and the NTNU (NO) created a Big Data Analysis INTRODUCTORY HANDBOOK (intellectual output 1) including concepts, Applications and Challenges in Intelligence and Social Sciences, an interactive training resource (intellectual output 2) and an online self-paced course that can be accessed freely by interested students beyond the lifetime of the project.
Furthermore, we conducted a pilot Train the Trainer course (short term joint staff training), and two Intensive Programs (IP1 and 2) that were attended by an average of 60 students enrolled from ANIMV (Romania), SNSPA (Romania) and the University of Malta. Given the restrictions imposed by the Covid 19 pandemic, these programs were carried out online. However, at the end of the project, two multiplier events were organized in Romania to address interested students, teachers and experts from across the academic world and state institutions working with big data analysis.
As a result of the project, MVNIA, SNSPA and UOM have managed to provide students and teaching staff with an introductory course (elaborated within the project) that allows them to better understand the use of big data in social sciences and security, its legal implications, the main principles it operates with etc. The course was integrated into the curricula of all three universities. The mutual understanding and cooperation also lead to partners further working together in joint projects. Results disseminated inside partner universities and nationwide (through the multiplier events) also produced wider interest and visibility. During the extended period of the project, partners worked to further shape the initial Interactive Training Resource into a free online, self-paced course iterated at least once a year for all those interested. In the supplementary iteration (outside the lifespan of the project) planned for December 2022, there have has already been enrolled 37 students from across Romania.
Summary of bilateral results
The partnership with NTNU Norway has allowed partners in Romania and Malta to gain significant knowledge and an increase in the capacity to understand and operate with Big Data, the expansion of the vision about Big Data, a development of the skills of the experts involved in the project, but also the increase of the educational offer by introducing into the curriculum a new course. The direct communication and collaboration and the joint research and course curricula development meant that universities in Romania and Malta had the opportunity to work directly with NTNU technological experts and create a multidisciplinary training curricula very useful for students in social sciences and security. Without it, it would have been impossible to develop an accurate understanding of the confluence between the various disciplines involved. The shared results of the project not only lead to improvement of knowledge and understanding, but also meant that the partners created an interactive training platform where course materials have been tailored for self paced learning and exercise. This platform has been made available to students and teaching staff in the partner universities, but also to interested students nationwide (via the multiplier events).At the same time, MVNIA, CPD SNSPA and University of Malta mutually benefited from the experience of the other partners and, following the project, have developed a team of experts who participated in the training program and who can multiply the results of the project. After this project, CPD SNSPA will also further apply the knowledge from the courses into a new master’s degree course (Big Data Analytics), that will start in 2023.