UNIMED launched a new publication on Critical Infrastructures resilience in the Mediterranean region, as the result of a research conducted in 2024 by a team of the University of Salento in the framework of the BINAYAT project, realized with the support of the Unit for Analysis, Policy Planning, Statistics and Historical Documentation – Directorate General for Public and Cultural Diplomacy of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in accordance with Article 23 ‒ bis of the Decree of the President of the Italian Republic 18/1967.

The project BINAYAT intended to represent the state of critical infrastructures, the main socio-political, climatic and structural factors, which can put safety of critical infrastructures at risk, in order to highlight priority areas of intervention both for their protection and for resilient management of a possible emergency.

Concerning the geographical area of the research, BINAYAT started on open data relating to critical infrastructures available in Italy and Europe, to include perspectives from the whole Mediterranean region. The final objective of the research was the creation of dashboards and interactive maps for the analysis of data on critical infrastructures, describing the status and the characteristics of the supranational critical infrastructures which, via the Mediterranean, connect Italy to Euro-Asia-Africa.

In an increasingly interconnected and technologically reliant world, the resilience and protection of critical infrastructures (CIs) have become essential to national security, economic stability, and public safety. Critical infrastructures—spanning sectors such as energy, transportation, healthcare, and telecommunications—are the backbone of modern society. Any disruption to these systems can have cascading effects, impacting not only local communities but also regional and global networks.

The concept of “resilience” in recent years has become a fundamental reference for guiding innovation in the field of sustainable local development policies and strategies. Understanding the vulnerabilities and risks facing infrastructures requires a comprehensive approach that integrates both qualitative and quantitative data. Statistical analysis and cross-country comparisons are fundamental in identifying patterns of threats, assessing the effectiveness of current protection measures, and informing future strategies based on a clearer understanding of shared vulnerabilities best practices in mitigating risks.

The project approach was to promote the use of interactive dashboards fed by diverse datasets, to allow stakeholders to visualize the state of their infrastructures, enabling informed decision-making and proactive risk management. Studying critical infrastructure protection through the lens of data and comparative analysis is not only necessary but imperative for fostering resilience in an era of evolving hybrid threats. These dashboards provide real-time, dynamic visualizations of data, offering key insights into where vulnerabilities exist, which sectors are most at risk, and where resources should be allocated. This ability to visualize risks allows for better prioritization of policies and procedures, enhancing decision-making processes and ensuring that interventions are focused on areas of highest need.

Besides the interactive dashboards to navigate CRI available data in the Med, the publication includes:

• a set of Recommendations to Policy-Makers.
• a Roadmap for strengthening the security and resilience of critical infrastructures in the Mediterranean region, focusing on collaborative initiatives and strategic capacity building, over 3 time-horizons: short-term, medium-term and long-term.
• A White Paper: Leveraging Mediterranean Universities and HEIs for Joint Training Proposals in Emerging Professions, Re-skilling, and Up-skilling.

The findings of this report highlight the complexity and urgency of protecting critical infrastructures (CIs) against a broad spectrum of evolving threats. The BINAYAT project, through its analysis of critical infrastructure in the Mediterranean region, has demonstrated the interconnected nature of physical, cyber, and hybrid threats and the need for robust, data-driven approaches to risk management. In this context, it becomes clear that traditional approaches to risk assessment are no longer sufficient to safeguard these vital systems. As CRI are highly interconnected, only a coordinated approach can work.