New EU-funded project will support the organisation of table top and field exercises to test and strengthen response to CBRN threats in 64 partner countries

CBRN table top, field exercises, simulations and trainings are coordinated activities which present potential real-life scenarios under simulated situations that response units might face in case of a threat involving chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) substances. 

These activities are a useful tool to test and build up the countries’ technical and operational capabilities in the event of a real-life CBRN emergency. With diverse state agencies involved in each exercise, these capacity-building activities can engage participants from national agencies, international organisations and subject experts working together towards a common goal: to make countries and regions safer.

TEST: CBRN Table top and field Exercises, Simulations, and Training

As part of its mission to advance CBRN risk mitigation and strengthen security and safety worldwide, the European Union has launched a new project that will support the development and implementation of CBRN Table top and field Exercises, Simulations, and Training (TEST) to mitigate related risks across the 64 partner countries of the EU CBRN CoE network.

Established in the context of the EU CBRN CoE Initiative, the three and a half years project (May 2024 – November 2027) aims at building on the successes of the EU CBRN CoE by strengthening the skills acquired in previous CoE projects and enhancing the participants’ knowledge by providing different types of capacity-building activities.

TEST is aimed at improving the preparedness, detection of, response and mitigation against risks related to CBRN materials and associated installations or sites in partner countries, as well as to enhance cooperation among CBRN stakeholders. The project will have an on-demand format in which partner countries will be able to request assistance based on the needs identified by the project team through a bottom-up analysis.

Funded by the European Union, the project will be implemented by GOPA PACE, with the support of ISEMi, University of Lodz, the Belgian National Crisis Centre, and GOPA Worldwide HSD.

What activities will the project support?

The project ‘CBRN Table top and field Exercises, Simulations, Training (TEST) to mitigate risks’ will support the following activities, among others:

• Planning exercises based on the requests received by the CBRN CoE partner countries
• Drafting of scenarios tackling the most typical incidents in C, B and RN
• Organising preparatory meetings with the partner countries’ exercise planning team
• Organising different types of exercises such as table top, command post and field exercises
• Supporting the training of local experts identified by partner countries

Visit the project’s page for a complete overview of its context, specific objectives, or expected outcomes.

EU CBRN Risk Mitigation: Building a safer and more secure world

The European Union funds the project ‘CBRN Table top and field Exercises, Simulations, Training (TEST) to mitigate risks’ within the framework of the European Union Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence Initiative EU CBRN CoE Supported through the NDICI – Global Europe instrument, the Initiative represents the EU’s largest civilian external security programme.

Funded and implemented by the European Union, with the support of UNICRI, the EU CBRN CoE is working to build a safer and more secure world

The EU CBRN CoE brings together 64 Partner Countries across 8 regions that cooperate at regional and international level to strengthen CBRN risk mitigation and to promote a global culture of safety and security. Since the Initiative’s inception in 2010, more than 100 EU-funded projects have been implemented to support the mitigation of and preparedness to CBRN risks.

Visit the EU CBRN Risk Mitigation page to learn more about the EU CBRN CoE and other EU flagship initiatives strengthening CBRN safety and security worldwide.