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This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 853853.
Contents
The STAIR4SECURITY Project: an Overview
STAIR4SECURITY Partners
STAIR4SECURITY: Progress Update
- The STAIR4SECURITY Platform
- The STAIR4SECURITY eLearning Tool
- Refinement to the improved CWA and fast-track adopting procedure for the CBRNe/ DRR community
Project Engagement
- STAIR4SECURITY/NO-FEAR CBRNe Workshop
- Sister-projects engagement - a network of Horizon 2020 projects in the CBRNe/DRR sector
- NO-FEAR
- INCLUDING
Security Standardization Landscape: Interview with Karl Gruen
Open Secure Societies Funding Calls and Events
- Calls for Proposals
- STAIR4SECURITY Webinars
The STAIR4SECURITY Project: an Overview
The main objective of STAIR4SECURITY is to create a collaborative platform as a single entry point for information on the security sector stemming primarily from research activities in order to allow for better governance of standardization needs in the Disaster Risk Resilience (DRR) and Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNe) sectors to be realised. The platform will be practitioner / policy making driven. It aims to permit a better overview of current and new projects being at, national, European and international level; ensuring more coordination between all stakeholders and responding more efficiently and timely to the critical needs following an agreed strategic vision and identified priorities.
Besides ensuring the necessary partnering network, STAIR4SECURITY will review process efficiency and effectiveness, including the necessary tools and mechanisms, which encapsulates the CEN and CENELEC Workshop Agreement (CWA) process and a fast-track procedure. The adoption and suitability of a CWA as well as any other standard type deliverable or reference document, such as a Technical Specifications (TS) and Technical Report (TR), will also form part of the review under the guise for the need for more relevant consensus standard (EN).
Meet the STAIR4SECURITY Project Partners
A wide range of international partners are involved in the STAIR4SECURITY project - each one providing valuable knowledge and expertise to develop a tool which aims to improve resilience of European Security. The STAIR4SECURITY project is coordinated by CEN/CENELEC bringing together a comprehensive, experienced and multi‐disciplinary team with a highly diverse expertise and skill-set. Its objective is to promote the use of standardization and best practice in the DRR/CBRNe sector and to enable better coordination between public and private actors at international, European, national and local level, to respond to security threats and disruptive events. The STAIR4SECURITY project has 8 organisations across 6 countries. Find our more here.
Twitter: @Standards4EU, @AFNOR, @DIN_Norm, @ATstandards, @svenskstandard, @NUIGalway, @TFCRIL, @EU_ScienceHub, @FACIreland
STAIR4SECURITY: Progress Update
The STAIR4SECURITY Platform
The first objective of the project is to establish an expert platform for the better coordination of research-related standardization activities in the security sector and in particular for the DRR/CBRNe community. The platform builds on from a legacy of identified projects, and provides a “single entry point” for any query related to pre-standardization and standardization in the DRR and CBRNe sectors.
Members of the STAIR4SECURITY online community include policymakers, practitioners as well as industry, standardizers, SMEs and academics. They will be able to connect, access and contribute to platform resources and services. The platform is designed to ensure that stakeholders needs are being met:
- Resource management to enable different CBRNe practitioners and actors discover and access the resources they need to support their work.
- Communities and Networks interactions around CBRNe resources to share, learn, and co-develop solutions and best-practices and coordinate actions.
- Data interoperability enabling exchange of digital resources among platforms in the DRR/CBRNe ecosystem.
The platform is under the development and the beta version is expected in Q2, 2020. Best usage of the platform will also be supported by the development of the STAIR4SECURITY eLearning tool, with beta also due in Q2 2020 and an engagement programme with stakeholders for demonstration and feedback purposes is being prepared.
The STAIR4SECURITY eLearning Tool
Future Analytics Consulting Ltd maintain a fully functioning eLearning platform with videos, tutorials, webinars, chat and much more. Working in conjunction with TFC Research and Innovation Limited, they collaborate for the creation of a new online video tutorial and eLearning which will introduce the STAIR4SECURITY platform, the updated CWA mechanism and CBRNe related material to interested parties in a controlled manner. In line with Work Package 2 (i.e. STAIR4SECURITY Platform), the eLearning tool will introduce new services and tools to online audiences offering both individual online support in the form of coaching to the targeted groups.
One of the project outputs is an online platform to enhance the quality and relevance of CWAs in the market environment to meet industry as well as practitioners needs. This tool is currently under construction but information and links will be available on this page as they develop. The eLearning tool is expected to be live in Q2, 2020.
Refinement to the improved CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA) and fast-track adopting procedure for the CBRNe/ DRR community
The second objective of the project is the revision of the necessary standardization tools and mechanisms to fit the needs of research and innovation, particularly with the CBRNe / DRR community in mind when the market need has been outlined by the proposer. This will be translated in the review of the CEN and CENELEC Workshop Agreement (CWA) process assessing its fit for purpose for the security CBRNe / DRR sector. So that there is no confusion, security matters such as cyber-security are out of scope for the STAIR4SECURITY project.
Using the STAIR4SECURITY platform for early information exchange between research projects having a standardization dimension and standardizers, the assessment of maturity by the relevant standardization bodies of pre-standardization deliverables like CWAs but also standardization deliverables like Technical Specifications (TS) and Technical Report (TR) to be adopted as consensus standard (EN) will be facilitated. The project will propose clear and detailed improvement options to fit the needs of the security sector for CWAs and guidance and good practices in order to ease the adoption of market relevant pre-standards as European Standards by the CEN and CENELEC members.
To ensure the need of European stakeholders are adequately met, the National Standards Bodies AFNOR (France), ASI (Austria), DIN (Germany), and SIS (Sweden) with support from the Chairperson of the CEN/TC 391 on Societal and Citizen Security and the very well connected and experienced small and medium-sized enterprise TFC Research and Innovation Limited (Ireland) were reviewing the necessary standardization tools and mechanisms. Specific suggestions for general improvement and security-specific improvement of the current processes and tools were made in Deliverable 3.1 and 3.2.
Currently, we are working on the implementation of two pilot projects from the operational security sector to test and refine the specific suggestions for processes and tools (Deliverable 3.1 and 3.2) developed in the first year of STAIR4SECURITY in order to further improve them and to meet the needs for more agility and speed. For this objective we again rely on the expertise of both, standardizers and users, to reveal strengths and weaknesses of the standardization tools and mechanisms and to jointly tackle the challenges.
Project Engagement
STAIR4SECURITY/NO-FEAR CBRNe Workshop
The STAIR4SECURITY/NO-FEAR joint conference on CBRNe / DRR for Standardization and Best Practice Engagement was held in Rome last November. It enabled professionals directly involved in CBRNe /DRR European and national security research to contribute to the workings of two projects, which is of significance to European security resilience. Participants engaged at demonstrations, workshops and round table discussions, including a showcase of the STAIR4SECURITY Platform and a working session on the newly revised standardization CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA) and Fast-track procedure where best practices can be brought to life at European level. We had the opportunity to demonstrate a first version of the STAIR4SECURITY Platform and to explore the implementation of the revised CWA in the real world. We received valuable feedback from practitioners present on the day and fostered deep levels of engagement with our esteemed colleagues from NO-FEAR.
Sister-projects engagement - a network of Horizon 2020 projects in the CBRNe/DRR sector
The STAIR4SECURITY/NO-FEAR Joint Conference was a stepping stone towards establishing a robust engagement with other Horizon 2020 projects in the field of CBRNe/DRR standardization and best practice. We believe that engagement with other projects in the sector is critical for the advancement of standardization within the CBRNe/DRR sector at a European level. We maintain close working relationships with a number of Horizon 2020 projects, such as NO-FEAR, INCLUDING, ENCIRCLE and eNOTICE.
NO-FEAR - Network Of practitioners For Emergency medicAl systems and cRitical care
In the video below, we talk to Rachele Brancaleoni from NO-FEAR – a Horizon 2020 project engaging with stakeholders in the emergency medicine field, industry, and academia to exchange experiences, best practices, and lessons learned and to access new products and innovative solutions in this context. We discuss common grounds between the two projects, and how we can work together to address the concerns of security standardization and CBRNe.
INCLUDING - Innovative Cluster for Radiological and Nuclear emergencies
In the video below, we talk to Dr. Luigi De Dominicis from INCLUDING – a Horizon 2020 project that pursues to develop a federation operating in the field of radiological and nuclear emergencies. We discuss common grounds between the two projects and possible cross-fertilisation to address the concerns of security standardization and CBRNe.
Security Standardization Landscape: Talking to Karl Gruen
Understanding the process of standardization and its needs is critical for the successful application of the STAIR4SECURITY Platform. Our project aims at enhancing an open security standardization process based on a multi-stakeholder consensus-based approach, which will have a significant impact on the future of standardization. We draw on the experience of our partners to promote relevant solutions and mechanisms, facilitating the link between practitioners and standardizing bodies. In the video below, we speak to Dr. Karl Gruen, who has over 25 years of experience in conceiving, implementing and coordinating standards within Austrian Standards International (ASI) and through his involvement on the CEN-CENELEC Technical Board.
Open Secure Societies Funding Calls and Events
Our ongoing engagement with other Horizon 2020 projects, as well as many professionals in the field of security standardization is vital for grasping practitioners' and first respondents' needs when it comes to CBRNe/DRR emergencies. We encourage anyone who has an interest in the field to join us on some of the upcoming events and through different funding calls.
Calls for Proposals
Relevant funding calls fall within Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2018 - 2020, Theme 14 Secure societies - Protecting freedom and security of Europe and its citizens.The Calls are now open and presently the deadline is 27th August 2020 (17:00 Brussels time). This may change due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
SU-DRS01-2018-2019-2020: Human factors, and social, societal, and organisational aspects for disaster-resilient societies
SU-DRS02-2018-2019-2020: Technologies for first respondents
SU-DRS03-2018-2019-2020: Pre-normative research and demonstration for disaster-resilient societies
SU-DRS04-2019-2020: Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) clusters
SU-FCT02-2018-2019-2020: Technologies to enhance the fight against crime and terrorism
STAIR4SECURITY Webinars
STAIR4SECURITY is organising a series of webinar centered on demonstrating the platform. Some webinars will also incorporate into proceedings both the eLearning tool and the new CWA and fast track procedure, the latter of which is being improved in line with the needs of the CBRNe/DRR community. These webinars will initially be held on an invitation basis and target ongoing H2020 CBRNe/DRR projects under the auspice of the European Commission (DG-Home). More open sessions are planned for late into the year and next year.
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