Introducing the UK's first European security risk management summer school, 1 to 6 July

Next month, the University of Portsmouth has the privilege of hosting the annual CONRIS (Cooperation Network for Risk, Safety and Security Studies) European Summer School, which will be titled From Global to Local: Delivering Security in Uncertain Times. This annual event brings together students and academic tutors from across Europe, along with guest contributors from key security agencies from the host country. Participants will have the opportunity to examine a number of contemporary security risk management challenges and strategies for addressing them, engage in intercultural learning and develop transferable skills, with the support of a variety of security specialists. Most CONRIS participants are full-time students in their early twenties, representing the next generation of security practitioners.

We are pleased to make available a small number of residential places, priced at ￡365, to early career security practitioners who have undertaken or are currently undertaking security qualifications at Level 5 or above. If you may be interested in participating in or sponsoring this intensive course, significantly subsidised by the European Union's Erasmus+ programme, our main sponsor synergia and the University of Portsmouth, please read on! Our networking and bursary sponsorship packages are also priced at ￡365. They comprise one-day networking packages for 2nd or 6th July when sponsors will have the opportunity to engage with our international students (potential future employees?) and themselves gain 12 CPD points through the Security Institute's CPD partnership scheme, and bursary sponsorships of two security management MSc students from Georgia and Palestine respectively, in order to enable them to attend the event and take the learning back to their home countries. We can supply more information on our two bursary candidates on request.

About CONRIS

CONRIS is a growing academic network, bringing together teaching teams from 19 member universities in nine European countries, of which Portsmouth is the only current UK member. It was established in 2009, with the ambition of bringing together academics involved in the delivery of risk, safety and security management courses every eight or nine months or so in order to exchange ideas, develop joint projects and facilitate exchanges of students and staff members via the European Union Erasmus+ programme. It is now represented by institutions from Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom). Since 2014, CONRIS has also been running annual summer schools: week long residential courses which the member universities take turns to host, for 30+ international students from those universities, studying at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

This year's summer school

This year’s theme considers some of the risks and threats characteristic of today’s uncertain and interconnected world. Referencing the ISO 31000 international risk management standard, it introduces participants to common and transferable approaches to their management, whether one is working in the public or private sector, or at the international, national, local or organisational level. Participants will be immersed in a programme of talks, exercises, discussions and visits introducing key issues, ideas, methodologies and tactics central to the assessment and management of security risk in a variety of contexts.

Highlights of the event include visits to two major corporate sites in Portsmouth in order to learn about their security concerns and mitigation strategies, practical exercises delivered by the resilience technologies consultancy synergia using augmented reality technologies, and contributions by representatives of the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI), the UK government authority providing protective security advice to businesses and organisations across the national infrastructure. In the evenings there will be plenty of opportunities to socialise with students, teaching staff and guests from across Europe in a relaxed, informal setting, including a barbecue on the last night, and a quiz evening at Portsmouth's historic Still and West harbourside pub, also famous for its fish and chips.

Participants will be awarded a Security Institute CPD certificate at the end of the summer school, and will come away with an insight into professional practice across multiple sectors, a pan-European network of contacts, and career development guidance to assist with the transition into employment or progression within the security sector.

The website for this year's summer school can be seen here, and the detailed programme for the event can be downloaded here. The fees are subsidised via the European Union Erasmus+ programme, synergia, and the University of Portsmouth.

Contact information

If you may be interested in attending or sponsoring the event, please email us at [email protected]. Bookings will close on Monday 18 June.

Acknowledgements

The full list of organisations supporting the CONRIS European Summer School 2018 is as follows:

• ASIS International, UK Chapter
• Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure
• CONRIS (Cooperation Network for Risk, Safety and Security Studies)
• Erasmus+ European Union programme for education, training, youth and sport
• Gunwharf Quays Premium Retail Outlet
• HJA Recruitment
• Needhams 1834 business continuity and crisis management consultancy
• Portsmouth International Port
• Professional Security magazine (editor Mark Rowe participating in the Monday programme)
• Security Institute
• synergia resilience technologies specialists
• University of Portsmouth Institute of Criminal Justice Studies