Operability and standardisation in response to biological toxin incidents
Closed
Status as published by the data source.
Expected Outcome:
Projects’ results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following outcomes:
• Improved European crisis management in case of an incident with biological toxins through the development of a pan-European task force of security practitioners, taking into consideration existing intersectoral actions on bioterrorism;
• New and existing portable devices, technologies and methods for responders to perform on-site detection of biological toxins are brought to the market;
• Recommendations of effective decontamination measures for personnel, equipment and facilities exposed to biological toxins are provided based on solid experimental testing;
• Development of an operational European response network of specialised and forensic laboratories, taking into account existing initiatives such as e.g. the HERA Laboratory Network and harmonised procedures/guidelines for forensic analysis of biological toxins applicable to a range of relevant technologies and toxins;
• The risks for responders from exposure to biological toxins in the hot-zone are assessed and recommendations of protective equipment for working with biological toxins in the hot-zone are developed;
• Building on existing initiatives and networks, a consolidated platform is established providing support for standardisation efforts in the analysis of biological toxins. Scope:
Recent incidents in Europe and worldwide have highlighted the current threat posed by several biological toxins falling under the Chemical and Biological Weapons Convention. The incidents demonstrated the urgency for countries individually and collectively to improve crisis management capabilities, to advance standardisation efforts and to interconnect security practitioners such as first responders (including health emergency services), law enforcement agencies, specialists from public health (e.g. epidemiologists, environmental health experts), as well as specialised and forensic laboratories across Europe. In order to ensure cross border interoperability, existing and new national procedures need to be developed and implemented in an operational and coherent European crisis response network capable of addressing the threats posed by biological toxins.
To properly manage and minimise the effects of an attack with biological toxins, fast and reliable detection and identification of the used agent is critical. Portable devices, technologies and methods for responders to perform on-site detection of a panel of biological toxins remain to be developed. There is a need for evaluation, training and advancement of on-site detection methods for responders, as well as the integration of emerging detection technologies into marketable solutions.
The safety of responders relies on correct risk assessment and the use of appropriate protective equipment. The risks from exposure to biological toxins in the hot zone are largely unknown. In order to recommend appropriate protective equipment for first responders and to guide the use of effective decontamination measures, the risks from exposure need to be assessed, taking into account sex susceptibility to toxins exposure. The Commission stockpiles personal protective equipment, and links should be sought with this joint DG ECHO-HERA action to make proposals as useful as possible.
Following an attack, exposed personnel, equipment and facilities needs to be decontaminated and declared safe as quickly as possible, in order limit the effects on society. Most decontamination procedures are developed for chemical or biological (i.e. organisms and viruses) agents, but based on their characteristics, biological toxins are at the interface of classical biological and chemical agents. Therefore, the efficiency of existing decontamination procedures should be evaluated for the decontamination of biological toxins.
Previous initiatives have initiated standardisation efforts for lab-based detection and identification of biological toxins. Analytical tools and reference materials are available and comprehensive training and proficiency-testing programs were organised, however, the need for further technical and operational improvement was demonstrated. Building on existing initiatives and networks, a consolidated platform should be established providing analytical tools (including Certified Reference Materials), training and intercomparisons among laboratories. Following the initial detection of the used biological toxin, a more detailed analysis is needed in order to link the agent to confiscated materials. In support of criminal investigations, new procedures and guidelines for comprehensive forensic analysis of biological toxins are needed. The developed methods and procedures should be shared among specialised and forensic laboratories. This action is also expected to engage with the European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA).
In this context it is important to remind that standardisation should support operations and policymaking to supplement it but should by no means substitute it. While standardisation of technology may be more straightforward, the right balance does especially have to be sought for processes. The action should ensure close synergies with standardisation activities on European (e.g. CEN/TC 391) and international level (e.g. ISO/TC 292).
- Status
- Closed
- Deadline
- (time not stated)
- Opens
- Published
- Total budget
- €6,000,000
- Grant range
- €6,000,000 – €6,000,000
- Country
- European Union (EU-wide)
- Programme
- Horizon Europe (HORIZON)
- Official page
- Open at the source portal
Other calls under Horizon Europe (HORIZON)
- PV based electrification of the economy: Designing & optimising PV systems supporting industrial electrification and promoting participation in electricity markets (EUPI-PV Partnership)
- Advanced TSO control rooms to enhance grid observability, stability and resilience
- Advanced Distribution Management Systems (ADSM) for more efficient and flexible distribution grids
- Community of practice - Data-Driven Decision-Making in Energy
- Industrial processes and equipment for innovative, reliable and scalable tandem technologies (EUPI-PV Partnership)
- Integrated Approaches for Retrofitting Infrastructures with Innovative Energy Storage Technologies
- Demonstration of hydropower technologies for efficient and forward-looking refurbishment of existing hydropower plants
- Delivery of industrial CCUS clusters – Societal Readiness pilot
All calls under this programme
Similar opportunities
- Replacing hazardous substances in biocidal products
- Climate security and civil preparedness – new ways to develop pre- and post-crisis climate-change related scenarios for a more resilient Europe
- Open topic on increasing security of citizens against terrorism, including in public spaces
- Towards a European network of ocean technology testing sites
- Cost-effective sustainable technologies and crisis management strategies for RN large-scale protection of population and infrastructures after a nuclear blast or nuclear facility incident
- Internationally coordinated networking of training centres for the validation and testing of CBRN-E tools and technologies in case of incidents, with consideration of human factors
Where this came from
- Source document
- https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/data/topicDetails/horizon-cl3-2023-drs-01-03.json
- Document fingerprint
a87117994660c24e(SHA-256, first 16 hex characters)- Retrieved
- First recorded here
What has changed
- url first recorded as https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl3-2023-drs-01-03 on
- currency first recorded as EUR on
- amount_max first recorded as 6000000.00 on
- amount_min first recorded as 6000000.00 on
- budget_total first recorded as 6000000.00 on
- deadline first recorded as 2023-11-23 on
- opens_on first recorded as 2023-06-29 on
- published_on first recorded as 2022-12-07 on
- status_basis first recorded as source_status on
- status first recorded as closed on
- title first recorded as Operability and standardisation in response to biological toxin incidents on
Data source
© European Union, 2026. Source: EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU — CC BY 4.0.
Retrieved from the source on .
The source last updated this document on Tue, 17 Feb 2026 17:17:11 GMT.
Personal data of natural persons has been dissociated by quiescence.eu.
This service is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by the data publishers.