Federation of radiological and nuclear security organisations reinforces Europe’s safety
Radiological and nuclear security threats are growing in scale and sophistication. Non-authorised use of radioactive and fissile materials primarily by rogue actors is the main cause, but non-compliance of Member States with current international agreements is another potential source of security breaches. Enhancing prevention of and response to these threats is paramount to the safety and security of Europe. The EU-funded INCLUDING project brought together 14 partners in the radiological and nuclear security domain from 9 Member States. The team established a federation supporting synergistic use of expensive infrastructure and facilities for training and exercises to address this challenge.
Federation of radiological and nuclear safety test beds
At project end, INCLUDING’s growing federation consisted of consortium participants and two affiliated partners from Italy and Austria. “These organisations provide test beds including nuclear premises, hospitals and research centres where it is possible to organise training and exercise activities in conditions representative of radiological and nuclear emergencies,” explains Monica Cimino of ENEA, the project’s coordinating entity. The sharing of resources is governed by an internal agreement among members and is coordinated by a steering board consisting of member representatives
Real-time, cloud-based management platform
In a disruptive paradigm for the planning and execution of such activities, registered users can find and remotely book on the web-based management platform all federation resources and test beds they want to use. “Much more than a reservation tool, it allows users to develop training and exercise scenarios in advance and model all the resources in space and time. In addition, the management platform supports real-time data viewing and transmission of inputs and commands to the resources being utilised at the training/exercise location,” says project coordinator Luigi De Dominicis.
New technology, training and real-life testing
In addition to creating a federated test bed infrastructure, INCLUDING proposed innovative technological solutions primarily focused on the use of unmanned aerial vehicle and unmanned ground vehicle technologies in complex crisis scenarios. Furthermore, training and exercise activities were developed to achieve specific learning objectives. Promoting a common learning framework in the radiological and nuclear safety domain in all organisations in EU Member States, supported by mobility programmes and knowledge transfer, will make it possible to compare the outcomes achieved during activities. “Without a doubt, the most exciting outcome was validation of technology and training in seven joint actions organised in federation test beds: field technical exercises in Greece, Finland, France, Hungary, Italy and Portugal and a tabletop exercise in Italy. These joint actions are among the most significant actions supported by the European Commission for introducing innovation in radiological and nuclear emergencies preparedness,” notes coordinator Luigi De Dominicis of ENEA. INCLUDING has generated tremendous interest among stakeholders in the radiological and nuclear security domain as seen in the five workshops held. Massive participation significantly benefited project activities and the development of recommendations for policy makers and first responders. The project also garnered significant public attention given the growing threats posed by global geopolitical tensions. The federation established by INCLUDING is expected to continue growing, supported by technological innovation and a common learning framework that fortifies Europe’s security in the face of radiological and nuclear security threats.
Keywords
INCLUDING, nuclear, radiological, nuclear security, learning framework, nuclear emergencies, nuclear safety, unmanned aerial vehicle, unmanned ground vehicle
