Crisis management topic 5: Situation awareness of Civil Protection decision-making solutions – preparing the ground for a Pre-commercial Procurement (PCP)

Specific challenge:

The Lisbon Treaty contains specific and important changes regarding Civil Protection that provide competence to the EU to: a) carry out actions to support, coordinate or supplement the actions of Member States and Associated Countries at national, regional and local level in risk prevention in preparing their civil-protection personnel and in responding to natural or man-made disasters within the Union; b) promote swift effective cooperative action within the EU between national civil protection services; c) promote consistency in international civil protection actions. A comprehensive European approach on security issues based on the capitalization of knowledge existing at EU and national level will considerably help the development and implementation of civil protection decision-making solutions.

Scope:

The proposals should carry out a survey leading to a mapping of new and promising civil protection decision-making solutions developed in the Seventh Framework and national programmes in transnational crisis and disaster management situations, including in fast developing and changing distaster and crisis situations.

Proposals should prepare the ground for a future PCP for civil protection solutions, including public-private cooperation at local, national and EU level, with a view to test technological solutions and protection, deployment and intervention equipments (e.g. tents, relief equipments, basis needs supply, Remotely Piloted Air System (RPAS)), sensors and tools (e.g. situation awareness) in order to make them more cost effective and interoperable.

Expected impact:

-          create a network of potential procurers, including through the exchange of experiences between (public) stakeholders on civil protection and;

-          initiate a concrete debate on the mid-to-long term public needs that would require the development of new civil protection technology solutions with a potential role for pre-commercial procurement strategies;

-          create a roadmap for a future PCP topic to be included for an upcoming Horizon 2020 Secure Societies research call;

-          outline perspectives for large-scale testing and simulation of civil protection solution with the view to improve decision-making solutions at national and European levels;

-          improved cooperation between science and society, in particular encouraging citizens to engage in science and improving the effectiveness of interactions between scientists, civil protection stakeholders, general media and the public.

Type of actionCoordination and Support Actions

Additional condition: A central condition for a successful PCP project is the participation of end–users from relevant public authorities. A project in preparation of a PCP should therefore follow the same principles. This topic will therefore require the participation of relevant public authorities from at least 3 Member States and Associated Countries..