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Universities and colleges are leading several key European Union-funded security projects, writes Keith Nuthall.

A study co-ordinated by the Austrian Academy of Sciences will develop guidelines on respecting common principles of human rights and privacy when tightening security systems.

The European Commission said the impetus was not just concern about civil liberties, but also about maintaining public acceptance of security technology and avoiding counterproductive reactions, especially regarding relations with the police.

France's Centre National d'?tudes Spatiales is co-ordinating a project that will lay down ground rules for exchanging sensitive information between EU security research teams, taking account of intellectual property rights concerns.

A Dresden Technical University project is to create an internationally accessible electronic provider of computer security systems, protecting against hackers and other cyber-attacks.