Internationally coordinated networking of training centres for the validation and testing of CBRN-E tools and technologies in case of incidents, with consideration of human factors
HORIZON Innovation Actions
Basic Information
- Identifier
- HORIZON-CL3-2023-DRS-01-04
- Programme
- Disaster-Resilient Society 2023
- Programme Period
- 2021 - 2027
- Status
- Closed (31094503)
- Opening Date
- June 28, 2023
- Deadline
- November 22, 2023
- Deadline Model
- single-stage
- Budget
- €4,000,000
- Min Grant Amount
- €4,000,000
- Max Grant Amount
- €4,000,000
- Expected Number of Grants
- 1
- Keywords
- HORIZON-CL3-2023-DRS-01-04HORIZON-CL3-2023-DRS-01Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) detectionDisaster resilience and crisis managementHuman behaviour modelling and simulationIncident ResponseSecuritySecurity testing and validationSoftware design validation and maintenanceTrainingTraining Centres/facilities, e.g. airport training centresTraining Development and evaluation
Description
Projects’ results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following outcomes:
- Extended networking of training centres in Europe and selected CBRN Centres of Excellence in non-EU countries;
- Compilation of information of capacities of networked CBRN-E training centres in view of better coordination of training and testing actions in support of research and standard developments;
- Improved cooperation and development of testing methodologies and protocols for the validation of tools and technologies resulting from research actions (including pre- or co-normative research) and/or proofs of concepts for developing standards, combining societal and technological challenges;
- Inter-cooperation through an established forum of training centres to synchronize actions for identifying gaps in test and validation techniques, methodologies and protocols.
In case of a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear or Explosive (CBRN-E) incident, it is of outmost importance that personnel involved in handling the situation, i.e., rescue services and polices, are well educated and trained and that they are using equipment and tools that are reliable with validated capabilities. It can be the difference between a well-functioning management and a disaster. To achieve a more robust and consistent opportunity to practice, test and evaluate CBRN-E tools and technologies (resulting from research actions and/or standard developments) within Europe and beyond, it is necessary to strengthen networking of existing training and testing facilities and centres and to extend it to relevant CBRN Centres of Excellence located in non-EU countries. An assessment of such facilities can identify gaps where training and testing opportunities are lacking but can also be a possibility to highlight weaknesses in that there may be dependencies on one or a few actors. This will indicate what type of facilities are ready to be used for specific training / validation needs and which developments are required to strengthen the testing end exercise capabilities to be better prepared in the event of a CBRN-E incident. It will also give the existing centres a possibility to cooperate to compare, enhance, develop and extend the range of tests, exercises and training to achieve a robustness that will benefit the whole European CBRN-E community. Along validation / testing actions, training exercises should consider societal aspects (vulnerable groups, human factors) in combination of CBRN technological response in case of an incident. It should be considered whether the Commission stockpiled items, aiming to respond to medical and CBRN emergencies, could be a part of training and validation exercises.
The work would build on the results achieved from past H2020 and Instrument for Security Funds (ISF) actions in this area, focusing on further development of tools, tests and training methods.
This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities. The involvement of citizens, including citizen volunteers in demonstrations of tools and technologies, civil society and other societal stakeholders in co-design and co-creation should be promoted.
In order to achieve the expected outcomes, international cooperation is required, in particular with countries belonging to the CBRN Centres of Excellence network.
Destination & Scope
Proposals involving earth observation are encouraged to primarily make use of Copernicus data, services and technologies.
Proposals are encouraged also to coordinate with ESA relevant activities, especially those undertaken under the Science for Society element of the FutureEO programme (https://eo4society.esa.int). Proposals for topics under this Destination should set out a credible pathway to contributing to the following expected impact of the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan 2021-2024:
“Losses from natural, accidental and human-made disasters are reduced through enhanced disaster risk reduction based on preventive actions, better societal preparedness and resilience and improved disaster risk management in a systemic way.”
More specifically, proposals should contribute to the achievement of one or more of the following impacts:
- Enhanced exploitation of the latest scientific results (e.g., from research programmes and institutions) and integrated technologies (e.g. Earth observation, in situ data collection, advanced modelling, AI) into enhanced understanding of high-impact hazards and complex compound and cascade events and improved prevention, preparedness to mitigation, response, and recovery tools;
- Enhanced understanding and improved knowledge and situational awareness of disaster-related risks by citizens, empowered to act and involved in relevant research initiatives (including citizen volunteers) and consider innovative solutions, thus raising the resilience of European society;
- More efficient cross-sectoral, cross-disciplines (including SSH), cross-border coordination of the disaster risk management cycle and governance (from scientific research to prevention, preparedness to mitigation, response, and recovery, including knowledge transfer and awareness of innovative solutions) from international to local levels;
- Enhanced collaboration, interactions and cross-discipline dialogue and networking between the scientific community, research institutions and programmes (e.g., HE, ESA scientific activities, national science programmes, FutureEarth RIS-KAN) and first and second responders through dedicated networking and collaboration actions fostering a faster transfer of results from science into practice;
- Support of harmonised and/or standardised and interoperability of guidelines / protocols / tools / technologies in the area of crisis management, natural disasters and CBRN-E;
- Strengthened capacities of first responders in all operational phases related to any kind of natural and human-made disasters so that they can better prepare their operations, have access to enhanced situational awareness, have means to respond to events in a faster, safer and more efficient way, and may more effectively proceed with victim identification, triage and care;
- Improved impact forecasting capability and scenario building for enhanced stress testing of critical entities and adaption of protection and resilience-enhancing activity accordingly;
- Improve the capacity of institutions and professionals to respond to natural hazards, whose frequency and severity for human activities have increased and are partly resulting from climate change;
- Improved ability to rescue and manage the first phases of emergencies that take into account extreme climatic events and/or geological hazards that may threaten urban areas (e.g. interface fires, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruption etc.).
All proposals of projects under this Destination should aim to be complementary and avoid overlaps with relevant actions funded by other EU instruments, including the European Defence Fund and its precursors (the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) and the Preparatory Action on Defence research (PADR)), based on the information publicly available[1] and while maintaining a focus on civilian applications only.
Investments in this Destination contribute substantially to the European Union’s objectives in terms of climate change adaptation and resilience to climate change. The funded projects are aimed at developing new technologies and solutions that can be used to understand the long-term effects of climate change, as well as to improve capacities of first responders and institutions for climate mitigation and prevention of natural disasters. Improved understanding of hazards and strengthened knowledge of the risks that these entail for human communities and their activities are cornerstones for more a resilient economy and society.
Where possible and relevant, synergy-building and clustering initiatives with successful proposals in the same area should be considered, including the organisation of international conferences in close coordination with the Community for European Research and Innovation for Security (CERIS) activities and/or other international events.
[1] See for instance:
- relevant work programmes of the EDF (https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/eu-defence-industry/european-defence-fund-edf_en) and of the DEP (https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/activities/work-programmes-digital)
And information on ongoing projects of:
- the EDF (https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/programmes/edf)
- the DEP (https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/programmes/digital);
Visit the following links for more information on past projects of the:
Eligibility & Conditions
General conditions
2. Eligible countries: described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes
A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
The following additional eligibility criteria apply:
This topic requires the active involvement, as beneficiaries, of:
- at least 3 Training Centres [[Training centres are national, regional or local infrastructures, generally ruled by governments or professional organisations, aiming at training practitioners (first responders, civil protection units etc.) in near-real operational crisis situations.]] located in EU Member States or Associated Countries;
- at least 2 CBRN Centres of Excellence [[https://cbrn-risk-mitigation.network.europa.eu/index_en)]] from non-associated third countries;
- and at least 3 representatives of scientific stakeholders involved in training, validation and testing of CBRN-E tools and technologies and end-users (both practitioners and policymakers).
For participants with practitioner status, applicants must fill in the table “Information about security practitioners” in the application form with all the requested information, following the template provided in the submission IT tool.
3. Other eligibility conditions: described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes
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Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes
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Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual
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Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants: described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes
Specific conditions
7. Specific conditions: described in the [specific topic of the Work Programme]
Documents
Call documents:
Standard application form — call-specific application form is available in the Submission System
Standard application form (HE RIA, IA)
Standard evaluation form — will be used with the necessary adaptations
Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA)
MGA
Call-specific instructions:
Template for Security & eligibility conditions in Horizon Europe
Additional documents:
HE Main Work Programme 2023–2024 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2023–2024 – 6. Civil Security for Society
HE Main Work Programme 2023–2024 – 13. General Annexes
HE Framework Programme and Rules for Participation Regulation 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
Support & Resources
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