The Insight SFI Research Centre led project, PANDEM-2, held a joint three-day conference in Brussels with 2 other EU funded projects eNOTICE and PROACTIVE. The conference showcased new tools and technologies developed to strengthen Europe’s response to future CBRNe (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive) and health crises.
While Covid-19 was spreading at a rapid rate, demonstrating the need to address CBRNe risks and threats, the eNOTICE, PROACTIVE and PANDEM-2 projects each worked on different aspects of crisis management and response with real-time inputs from public health agencies, first responders and civil society organisations across Europe. Although each project has distinct aims and objectives, they all worked towards one shared goal: to protect the public by ensuring better preparedness and response for future crises. In addition, the projects identified various common recommendations which apply to both CBRNe events and pandemics.
Speaking at the conference, PANDEM-2 coordinator Professor Máire Connolly, Insight FI, University of Galway commented:
“Over the past two and a half years, PANDEM-2 has developed a suite of IT tools to improve how Europe prepares for and responds to future pandemics. We’ve also developed innovations in training to increase capacity between EU member states responding to pandemics on a cross-border basis. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the devastation a pandemic that inflicts on human populations. However, EU citizens continue to face increasing threats from naturally occurring pandemics, accidental release of a pandemic-prone pathogen, hybrid threats with deliberate release of a biological agent, chemical, radio nuclear events and climate change continue to pose significant threats to the health and security of EU citizens. These emergency situations require large-scale planning for preparedness to ensure countries have the capacity to respond to these events. To do this requires cross-sectoral cross border collaboration at an EU level which is why the conference today is so important and a step in that direction”.
Insight, University Galway members Jair Andrade, Paul Buitelaar, Máire Connolly, James Duggan, Caroline Green, Conor Hayes, Jessica Hayes, Carlos Tighe and Omnia Zayed took part in the conference.
PANDEM-2 is an H2020 EU-funded project that aims to develop new solutions for efficient, EU-wide pandemic management. The goal of PANDEM-2 is to prepare Europe for future pandemics through innovations in technology and training and to build capacity between EU member states to respond to pandemics on a cross-border basis. The PANDEM-2 consortium comprises a total of 19 European partners with expertise in several key areas including epidemiology, software development, public health, and emergency care.
