Biotoxins pose significant challenges to current crisis management approaches. Existing concepts of operation, derived from Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear doctrines, and Union Civil Protection Mechanism initiatives, do not address the distinctive and highly complex attributes of a biotoxin crisis. EMBRACE aims to improve Europe’s capacity to respond effectively to biotoxin incidents. We will consolidate and apply scientific and clinical knowledge of biotoxins to revise response protocols and deliver innovative solutions specifically tailored to address gaps and needs identified in current provision. Highlights include analysis of biotoxins not previously addressed in this context, risk-based recommendations for PPE and novel decontaminants, in vitro studies to identify human biomarkers of exposure, novel samplers, portable biosensors and field diagnostics devices, and software tools to assist responders in biothreat risk assessment. To ensure intersectoral and cross-border interoperability of these solutions and successful commercialisation of our exploitable assets, we will prioritise a carefully planned standardisation and valorisation programme. EMBRACE will engage with existing initiatives and projects to create a vibrant biotoxin knowledge network; a multi-sectoral community of stakeholders, on the basis of which a sustainable Biotoxin Task Force will be established as a source of expertise and guidance on biotoxin incidents both for EMBRACE and the wider community. The network of stakeholders and EMBRACE’s ambitious programme of scientific, technological, and operational advances will be supported by the creation of a biotoxin reference and stakeholder hub designed to facilitate knowledge exchange and provide users with direct access to widely distributed and expertise. Finally, EMBRACE’s innovative sustainability strategy will ensure that its solutions and the biotoxin community continue to thrive beyond the duration of the project.

Smart cities have frontline responsibility to ensure a secure and safe physical and digital ecosystem promoting cohesive and sustainable urban development for the well being of EU citizens. S4AllCities integrates advanced technological and organizational solutions in a market oriented unified Cyber – Physical Security Management framework, aiming at raising the resilience of cities’ infrastructures, services, ICT systems, IoT and fostering intelligence and information sharing among city’s security stakeholders. Three pilot cases, with the engagement of a total of 5 cities in 4 countries (Spain, Romania, Czech Republic, Greece), enable S4ALLCITIES System of Systems to deploy and validate its intelligent components and functionalities on actual environment, ensuring the delivery of solutions and services in line with smart cities emerging requirements, focused on: risk-based open smart spaces security management; cyber security shielding; suspicious activity and behaviour tracking; identification of unattended objects; real-time estimation of cyber-physical risks in multiple locations and measures activation for effective crisis management. S4ALLCities smart components, integrated within 3 Digital Twin Systems, will demonstrate their technological advances in tackling terrorist attacks with high risk for mass casualties, within the complex environment of open crowded spaces. The multidisciplinary consortium (9 EU countries) will exploit project’s innovative technological systems in the global market providing a cost efficient and market ready integrated solution. S4ALLCities exploitation phase will promote good practices and guidance material across EU cities so as to enhance capacity building of involved stakeholders, reduce the vulnerabilities of public spaces, mitigate the consequences of adversary attacks, raise public awareness and strike a balance between improving security and preserving the open nature of public spaces as well as citizens’ sense of freedom.

SecureGas focuses on the 140.000Km of the European Gas network covering the entire value chain from Production to Distribution to the users, providing methodologies, tools and guidelines to secure existing and incoming installations and make them resilient to cyber-physical threats. Three business cases, addressing relevant issues for the Gas sector and beyond (e.g. oil), have been identified so that to ensure the delivery of solutions and services in line with clear needs and requirements, focused on: risk-based security asset management of gas transmission and distribution networks; impacts (economic, environmental and social) and cascading effects of cyber-physical attacks on interdependent and interconnected European Gas grids; integrity and security, through the operationalization of resilience guidelines, of strategic installations across the EU Gas network. SecureGas tackles these issues by implementing, updating, and incrementally improving extended components, integrated and federated according to an High-Level Reference Architecture built upon the SecureGas Conceptual Model, a blue print on how to design, build, operate and maintain the EU gas network to make it secure and resilient against cyber-physical threats. The components are contextualized, customized, deployed, demonstrated and validated in each business case, according to the scenarios defined by the end-users. Related services provided by SecureGas will be offered to the end-users via a Platform as a Service (PaaS), that allows modularity, flexibility, cooperation and third-party interoperability, thus securing a long-lasting impact, supporting the project exploitation strategy. A multidisciplinary consortium (Gas operators, technology providers, research institutions, sector-related associations), supports the project implementation across Construction, Demonstration and Validation phases, as well as a Stakeholder Platform ensures inputs, advise, and a wider Diffusion of the project outcomes

STAMINA develops an intelligent decision support toolset for pandemic prediction and management and demonstrates its use by practitioners at national and regional levels within and across EU borders. The STAMINA toolset enables national planners and first responders to anticipate and respond to the the “known-unknowns” in their daily effort to enhance health security. Main functionality of the toolset includes: • Real-time web and social media analytics aiming at public trust monitoring and flagging possible disease outbreaks • POCT and smart wearable diagnostic devices for first line screening • Predictive modeling of pandemic outbreak and its impact, along with decision-making support in implementing mitigation strategies, • Early Warning System • Crisis management tool defining the roles and actions of key actors during crisis management • Scenario Generation tool for creation of training scenarios • Common Operational Picture as the main interface of the solution enabling timely and coordinated response The toolset is accompanied by a set of Guidelines on effective implementation of risk communication principles and best practices in cross-organisational preparedness and response plans. The use of the STAMINA toolset will be demonstrated through 12 national and regional small-scale demonstrators and one large-scale cross-border simulation exercise involving all consortium partners.

ExPEDite aims to create and deploy a novel Digital Twin (DT) for real-time monitoring, visualization, and management of district-level energy flows. The project will deliver a suite of replicable modeling tools, allowing stakeholders to analyze planning actions towards positive energy and climate neutrality in a cost-effective manner. The tools will be able to model the district’s energy production and demand, building stock performance, optimize for flexibility and simulate mobility and transport. The DT’s design-platform will analyze various what-if planning actions, aiding energy and urban planners’ evidence-based decision-making processes, while its run-time engine will optimize the districts energy utilization efficiency. The DT will follow a modular open architecture to support multi-sectoral and multi-organizational stakeholder requirements. By employing gamification and co-creation approaches, the project will enhance public awareness and engagement in energy efficiency. The ExPEDite DT will be applied to a district in Riga, Latvia, and will provide practical guidelines, reusable models, algorithms, and training materials to aid other cities in replicating the DT for their districts, fostering widespread adoption of sustainable energy practices.