CFAs: Cost-Effective Sustainable Technologies & Crisis Management for RN Large-Scale Nuclear Protection

Deadline: 20-Nov-24

The European Commission (EC) invites applications for cost-effective, sustainable technologies and crisis management strategies aimed at protecting populations and infrastructures on a large scale in the aftermath of a nuclear blast or incident at a nuclear facility.

Scope

• A nuclear explosion in any EU member country (or in the European neighbourhood) would lead to disastrous effects for numerous EU citizens and residents. For example, the initial effects from a nuclear explosion in a city will lead to, besides numerous dead and severely injured citizens, destroyed infrastructure. The radioactive plume containing particulate matter may damage ventilation systems and fallout will generate high dose rates. Criticality or other incidents at nuclear power plants and nuclear-powered vessels may occur because of direct attack, sabotage, collateral damage, accidents, loss of infrastructure services such as power and/or water supply or lack of necessary skilled personnel on site.
• Research on large-scale protection of population and infrastructure in the event of a nuclear explosion need to be undertaken both separately as well as in a RN-perspective. Research activities aimed at updating EU’s possibilities for large-scale protection of population and infrastructure in the event of a nuclear explosion would benefit from being carried out in close cooperation with other EU-members. Research activities should also pertain to improved understanding of the radioactive fallout and assessment of dose rates to the population following a nuclear explosion in order to enable use of cost-effective sustainable technologies in protection of population and infrastructures.
• In a situation after a RN-incident the time consuming and laborious decontamination procedures for the population must be reduced to a minimum. Therefore, the possibility to identifying the need for decontamination, and above all to assess that there is no need for decontamination would be beneficial as well as the possibility to enter a shelter or other protected area in a safe way.
• Protective measures in the aftermath of a RN disaster may vary depending on situations. Such measures should be based on evaluated risks rather than probabilities. Starting with sensor- as well as other available data, measures could be optimized from a risk-cost point-of-view resulting in cost-effectiveness.
• Based on measurement data, appropriate protective actions could be decided upon. If a risk analysis results in a low risk, a lower level of mitigating measures might be needed resulting in lower costs. Then resources can be used in other areas where they are more needed, leading to an overall optimized protection.
• Protective actions should be based on risk modelling. Such modelling is based on available knowledge of different input quantities resulting in a probability distribution, from which the risk can be calculated applying a consequence function.
• New technologies should be compatible with RN crisis management systems, strategies for crisis communication and take into account relevant societal and human factors, such as vulnerable group and cultural and linguistic diversities. In order to achieve the expected outcomes, international cooperation is encouraged. The action should take due consideration to EU policies, in particular the SevesoIII and CER Directives.
• This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research/innovation activities.
• Within this topic, the European Commission encourages all potential participants to create, where possible, opportunities for the affected persons and entities, in particular researchers and innovators previously active in Ukraine as well as Ukrainian researchers and innovators who are unable to return to Ukraine in the given circumstances.

Funding Information

• The check will normally be done for the coordinator if the requested grant amount is equal to or greater than EUR 500 000, except for:
  • public bodies (entities established as a public body under national law, including local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations; and
  • cases where the individual requested grant amount is not more than EUR 60 000 (low-value grant).

Expected Outcomes

• Projects’ results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following outcomes:
  • Based on existing national practices, improved understanding of the radioactive fallout and methodology regarding robust and rapid monitoring of dose rate and nuclide specific determination with purpose of facilitating safe evacuation after a nuclear or radiological event;
  • Improved tools and methods for risk assessment following a nuclear or radiological event and optimized actions after a disaster that are based on risk analysis rather than probabilities
  • Identification of the relevant range of different protective measures, including medical countermeasures, needed after a RN disaster, and improved protection of population and infrastructures through better analysis of sensor data resulting in adequate protective actions;
  • Improved understanding of contamination and decontamination of population and infrastructure, and improved rapid procedures for decontamination of individuals after a RN-incident;
  • Recommendations on integration of improved technologies and assessment methodologies in the RN crisis managements systems.

Eligible Activities

• Projects must focus exclusively on civil applications and must not:
  • aim at human cloning for reproductive purposes;
  • intend to modify the genetic heritage of human beings which could make such changes heritable (except for research relating to cancer treatment of the gonads, which may be financed);
  • intend to create human embryos solely for the purpose of research, or for the purpose of stem cell procurement, including by means of somatic cell nuclear transfer.
• Projects must, moreover, comply with EU policy interests and priorities (environment, social, security, industrial policy, etc.).
• The following activities are generally eligible for grants under Horizon Europe:
  • Research and innovation actions (RIA) — Activities that aim primarily to establish new knowledge or to explore the feasibility of a new or improved technology, product, process, service or solution. This may include basic and applied research, technology development and integration, testing, demonstration and validation of a small-scale prototype in a laboratory or simulated environment.
  • Innovation actions (IA) — Activities that aim directly to produce plans and arrangements or designs for new, altered or improved products, processes or services. These activities may include prototyping, testing, demonstrating, piloting, large-scale product validation and market replication.
  • Coordination and support actions (CSA) — Activities that contribute to the objectives of Horizon Europe. This excludes research and innovation (R&I) activities, except those carried out under the ‘Widening participation and spreading excellence’ component of the programme (part of ‘Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area’). Also eligible are bottom-up coordination actions which promote cooperation between legal entities from Member States and Associated Countries to strengthen the European Research Area, and which receive no EU co-funding for research activities.
  • Programme co-fund actions (CoFund) — A programme of activities established or implemented by legal entities managing or funding R&I programmes, other than EU funding bodies. Such a programme of activities may support: networking and coordination; research; innovation; pilot actions; innovation and market deployment; training and mobility; awareness raising and communication; and dissemination and exploitation. It may also provide any relevant financial support, such as grants, prizes and procurement, as well as Horizon Europe blended finance or a combination thereof. The actions may be implemented by the beneficiaries directly or by providing financial support to third parties.
  • Innovation and market deployment actions (IMDA) — Activities that embed an innovation action and other activities necessary to deploy an innovation on the market. This includes the scaling-up of companies and Horizon Europe blended finance.
  • Training and mobility actions (TMA) — Activities that aim to improve the skills, knowledge and career prospects of researchers, based on mobility between countries and, if relevant, between sectors or disciplines.
  • Pre-commercial procurement actions (PCP) — Activities that aim to help a transnational buyers’ group to strengthen the public procurement of research, development, validation and, possibly, the first deployment of new solutions that can significantly improve quality and efficiency in areas of public interest, while opening market opportunities for industry and researchers active in Europe. Eligible activities include the preparation, management and follow-up, under the coordination of a lead procurer, of one joint PCP and additional activities to embed the PCP into a wider set of demand-side activities.
  • Public procurement of innovative solutions actions (PPI) — Activities that aim to strengthen the ability of a transnational buyers’ group to deploy innovative solutions early by overcoming the fragmentation of demand for such solutions and sharing the risks and costs of acting as early adopters, while opening market opportunities for industry. Eligible activities include preparing and implementing, under the coordination of a lead procurer, one joint or several coordinated PPI by the buyers’ group and additional activities to embed the PPI into a wider set of demand-side activities.

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:
  • the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
  • the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States: Aruba (NL), Bonaire (NL), Curação (NL), French Polynesia (FR), French Southern and Antarctic Territories (FR), Greenland (DK), New Caledonia (FR), Saba (NL), Saint Barthélemy (FR), Sint Eustatius (NL), Sint Maarten (NL), St. Pierre and Miquelon (FR), Wallis and Futuna Islands (FR).
  • countries associated to Horizon Europe: Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Tunisia, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Kingdom.
• Specific cases: 
  • Affiliated entities — Affiliated entities are eligible for funding if they are established in one of the countries listed above, or in a country identified in the specific call/topic conditions.
  • Associated partners — Entities not eligible for funding (and therefore not able to participate as beneficiaries) may participate as associated partners, unless specified otherwise in the specific call/topic conditions.
  • Coordination and Support Actions – To be eligible to participate as beneficiaries (or affiliated entities) in ‘Coordination and support’ actions, legal entities must be established in a Member State or Associated Country, unless the specific call/topic conditions provide otherwise (in which case the general rules for eligibility for funding apply). Legal entities established in a non-associated third country may, however, participate in ‘Coordination and support’ actions as associated partners, unless this is explicitly excluded by the specific call/topic conditions.
  • EU bodies — Legal entities created under EU law may also be eligible to receive funding, unless their basic act states otherwise.
  • International organisations — International European research organisations are eligible to receive funding. International organisations with headquarters in a Member State or Associated Country are eligible to receive funding for ‘Training and mobility’ actions or when provided for in the specific call/topic conditions. Other international organisations are not eligible to receive funding, unless provided for in the specific call/topic conditions, or if their participation is considered essential for implementing the action by the granting authority.

For more information, visit EC.