STAIRS PROJECT
Criminology
Criminology, Victimology, Law, Forensic Science, Security.
Defined areas of expertise, scientific accuracy, professional seriousness, and our commitment to reliable results.
Research
Robust methodology, professional experience, continuous updating. An interdisciplinary and international team for research and innovation, inserted in the most important professional and scientific networks at global level.
Training
A complete, modular, updated training offer, designed to provide specific skills, professional focuses, interdisciplinary knowledge in several technical and scientific sectors, with a special attention to innovation and AI.
Consulting
A team of experts at your disposal for customised consultancy, dedicated solutions, and project planning, management and implementation, with access to international networks of professionals and institutions to support and promote your development, research, and innovation activities.
Have you ever heard of whistleblowing?
Among the key pillars of the European Union’s unification and growth policy is the development of what we might call a European Civil Conscience, the foundation for building an informed and, consequently, healthy citizenship.
The primary challenge is building a foundational regulatory system that is valid and respected in all EU countries, regardless of any regulatory shortcomings in individual member states, particularly those rules necessary to ensure that everyone can enjoy the same fundamental rights, regardless of their country of residence.
Within this framework, the active participation of every citizen is crucial to ensuring the correct implementation of this legislation at every level. For this reason, a Community directive was approved in 2019 providing mandatory protection for individuals who report serious breaches by private and privatized companies and public bodies.
These are known as “whistleblowers“.
Legal references
- Directive (EU) 2019/1937 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2019 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law
- Consolidated text: Directive (EU) 2019/1937 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2019 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law
Project info
The STAIRS project, co-funded by the European Union, aims to develop and disseminate an innovative AI-driven Chatbot to provide whistleblowers and civil society with secure, real-time support and guidance on EU and national whistleblower protection laws (Directive EU 2019/1937).
This tool is crucial for providing potential whistleblowers with all the information they need to submit their report in the safest way possible, completely anonymously, in their country of residence. They can communicate in their native language with an advanced chatbot that will provide information on national and international regulations, procedures, providing also contact information of supporting organizations in EU countries, with a specific focus on safety and security of the whistleblowers and their psychological well-being.
To this end, this chatbot, powered by Artificial Intelligence, will be trained, educated, and evaluated before its final deployment.
The STAIRS project envisages the active involvement of public institutions, associations and other private entities in the abovementioned activities, in order to co-create ad shape the final tool.
- For the civil society organizations already active in the field of support, counselling, and protection of whistleblowers, active participation grants the direct involvement in the development of a tool that will be freely available and as close as possible to their expectations and needs, and the free of charge training of their staff members to use the final tool;
- Public and private entities with more than 50 employees, for which having an internal whistleblowing policy is already mandatory according to the EU Directive, will benefit from the free of charge access to the online tool and will receive free of charge training for the employees in charge of whistleblowing reports.
- An active participation ensures the chatbot's successful development, making it an effective tool to support whistleblowers and all the stakeholders and end users interested in this field, providing support and practical information even for the most complex cases.
Are you interested in participating in the STAIRS Project as a Stakeholder for the training of the AI chatbot?
Contact us
for further information or to arrange a call
The STAIRS project is co-funded by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) Programme of the European Union (Grant Agreement n. 101214785 — STAIRS — CERV-2024-CHAR-LITI).
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