CEPOL – Pitch Match Innovation Forum (PIMIF)
On 28 January 2026, VANGUARD had the honour of participating in the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL) pilot edition of the Pitch Match Innovation Forum (PIMIF), organised in collaboration with the Innovation and Security Research Unit, Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME), European Commission (EC). This activity brought together 27 EU-funded project representatives, who presented their current novel approaches, enhancements, and innovative outcomes. These were subsequently matched with CEPOL’s instructional designers and training activity managers to integrate them into CEPOL’s existing training portfolio.
The Project Coordinator (M4D group at CERTH-ITI) presented the VANGUARD main objectives, key planned outcomes, and main achievements to date, with particular focus on its training and capacity-building plan on Trafficking in Human Beings structured around three main axes: (i) training materials on THB, (ii) a VR-based serious game for security practitioners, and (iii) handbooks and user guides dedicated to the use of the technological solutions being developed. Follow-up discussions with CEPOL experts paved the way for future uptake of these solutions, enabling VANGUARD to contribute to CEPOL’s mission and vision of making Europe a safer place through law enforcement training and learning.
