HOLISTIC CAPABILITY AND TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION AND CO-CREATION FRAMEWORK FOR UPSKILLED FIRST RESPONDERS AND ENHANCED CBRN-E RESPONSE

Project Information

TeamUP

Grant agreement ID: 101121167

DOI

10.3030/101121167

EC signature date 17 December 2023

Start date 1 January 2024

End date 31 December 2026

Funded under

• Civil Security for Society

Total cost

€ 6 301 162,50

EU contribution

€ 5 722 012,50

Coordinated by

EREVNITIKO PANEPISTIMIAKO INSTITOUTO SYSTIMATON EPIKOINONION KAI YPOLOGISTON
Greece

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - TeamUP (HOLISTIC CAPABILITY AND TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION AND CO-CREATION FRAMEWORK FOR UPSKILLED FIRST RESPONDERS AND ENHANCED CBRN-E RESPONSE)

Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2025-06-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

TeamUP addresses major operational challenges in CBRN-E response by developing and validating advanced tools for detection, identification, monitoring, search and rescue, triage, decontamination, and collaborative training. Leveraging AI-based analysis and sensor integration, the project enhances situational awareness, decision-making, and coordination across multiple agencies. Solutions are validated through a structured programme of exercises, tests, and trials to evaluate performance, measure impact on responders’ CBRN-E capabilities—regardless of expertise—and assess how the integrated Toolkit improves multi-agency operational readiness. TeamUP pursues the following objectives:
Obj. 1: Establish a feasible and veritable framework to analyse and advance first responders’ (experts and nonexperts in CBRN-E) knowledge and operational competences related to CBRN-E risk management procedures, through knowledge sharing, harmonized training and evaluation of capabilities and technology.
Obj. 2: Co-develop and assimilate functionable tools to armour FRs with advanced DIM, SaR, Triage, DECON and joint operations capabilities, incorporated in an innovative training, planning and response coordination Toolkit.
Obj. 3: Validate tools through a multi-level exercises, tests, trials and demonstration programme on contributing in the multi-agency CBRN-E response capacity and in upgrading operating procedures.
Obj. 4: Initiate pre-normative efforts, in collaboration with relevant EC-funded projects and CBRN-E domain stakeholders, on standardizing quantitative and qualitative metrics and procedures for decontamination validation and revisiting CBRN-E incident management related standards.
Obj. 5: Promote synergies with previous, on-going, and future EC-funded projects as well as Networks of Practitioners and Training Centres through knowledge sharing, systems integration and joint outreach activities in collaboration with CERIS while promoting projects’ results towards their exploitation.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the reporting period, TeamUP has made significant progress in advancing its core objective: enhancing the operational readiness of FRs in managing CBRN-E scenarios through a combination of applied research, tool development, and iterative field validation.
Two rounds of Tabletop and Small-Scale Exercises (TTX/SSX) were co-designed and conducted with end-users. These scenario-based activities identified key gaps in team coordination, PPE usability, decontamination workflows, and DIM procedures. The second round expanded the scope to include radiological and biological threats, deepening insights into operational demands and cross-discipline interactions.
Building on the findings from early gap analyses, the project has successfully co-designed a suite of functional tools across core CBRN-E operational domains: Detection, Identification and Monitoring (DIM), Search and Rescue, Triage, Decontamination, training and multi-agency coordination. The development process is structured into three iterations, each resulting in an increasingly refined prototype. The first iteration has been completed during this period, delivering initial modular and ruggedised prototypes designed for field use.
To enable systematic performance evaluation, TeamUP has applied a robust Technology Evaluation Framework (TEF), supporting a progressive validation methodology from lab-based testing to field trials. This framework ensures that tools are assessed both in technical isolation and within operational workflows. A key milestone was the definition of 209 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) across 23 technologies. These KPIs will serve as the basis for upcoming large-scale validation activities.
Together, these efforts demonstrate TeamUP’s progress toward delivering validated, user-driven, and mission-ready solutions tailored to the CBRN-E environments.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

TeamUP has advanced beyond the state of the art in CBRN-E preparedness by addressing key limitations in tool design, usability, coordination, and validation. Existing solutions are often siloed, incompatible with PPE, or unsuitable for non-specialists. TeamUP offers integrated, user-friendly systems built for real-world operational complexity.
A defining innovation is the co-development model: end-users and tech providers jointly shaped all tool designs. The result is a fully integrated prototype set (PR1) covering DIM, decontamination (including mass and infrastructure), enhanced search and rescue, digital triage, and coordination support. These tools prioritize ergonomics, modularity, and field deployment—extending beyond traditional technical advances by focusing on practical integration and adaptability.
The project also created a Holistic Capability and Technology Evaluation Framework, which evaluates both technical performance and human usability. This enables thorough assessment of tool effectiveness under pressure, ease of use by non-experts, and fit within standard operating procedures. The framework ensures that innovations enhance, rather than complicate, emergency operations and multi-agency collaboration.
TeamUP’s contribution also includes critical pre-normative work. The project initiated a CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA) focused on human decontamination performance in CBRN-E events—an effort that addresses major regulatory and procedural gaps across Member States. This work references existing standards (e.g. ISO 22361, EN ISO 9271) and aims to build EU-wide consensus on measurable thresholds for effective decontamination.
Finally, TeamUP has developed a multi-level validation methodology, adapted from best practices in European trial frameworks and tailored to CBRN-E challenges. This allows for rigorous, iterative testing of tools, procedures, and coordination mechanisms in both controlled and operational environments, ensuring solutions are robust, effective, and aligned with real-world needs.