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BIO3R
represents a consortium composed of 20 partners from
8 European Countries (Belgium, United Kingdom,
France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland,
Sweden). It constitutes a unique team of
multidisciplinary competences linking Strategic
Research Centres and “think tanks” (IAI, IABG, FOI,
FRS, TNO, UoR), Laboratories and Research Centres (CEB,
CNES, WIHE.PL, UCL), Industry (Bertin, Sagem,
Multitel), hospitals and medical research institutes
(RKI, UKB, UHP, UP7DD, HBichat), as well as
providers of Health Research Policy (Nomisma) and
Water Safety (Eau de Paris).
1 – FONDATION POUR LA RECHERCHE
STRATÉGIQUE - FRS (FR)
Core business and skills
Based in Paris, FRS is one
of the most prominent independent French research
institutes in the field of Security and Defence. As
a public-interest foundation, it carries out
research work and studies in the field of security
and defence with the aim of bringing an independent
expertise to interested decision-makers, either
public or private.
The FRS has three main fields of
research: Terrorism and Defence issues; Technology,
Space and Security and Analysis of conflict context
and situations. It has long had a commitment to the
study of terrorism and more precisely non
conventional terrorism (CBRN).
Role in the project
FRS, which will coordinate BIO3R, will be
responsible for the management and for the synthesis
and dissemination of the results (with University of
Reading). In addition, it will contribute to the
threat analysis, with the description of plausible
scenarios for a bioterrorism event, and to the
characterisation of the resulting operational
requirements.
www.frstrategie.org
2 – BERTIN Technologies - BER (FR)
Core business and skills
Bertin
Technologies is recognised as an innovation force toward new services
and products involving
high
technological content in relation to engineering
activities and life sciences. With a highly skilled
workforce of 230, Bertin Technologies can act as an
"expert" or as an "equipment developer" to major
system manufacturers and administrative customers.
Defence, Homeland Security and Health are major
fields of activity representing some 70 % of the
turnover and order book.
Bertin Technologies has acquired a great deal of experience
over the past few years in the development of
technologies to perform main functions of the
overall biological identification chain, (such as
alert detection, bio-sampling, sample preparation,
bio-analysis), in the provision of expert
assessments for different operational needs like
bio-contamination monitoring of clean rooms in the
food and pharmaceutical industries, or bio-diagnosis
in food production (BSE, Salmonella), and in
the bio-surveillance of the environment for public
health (Legionella) or defence (large
military zones). Several advanced technologies have
been developed in this context, like bio-aerosol
cyclonic collectors, immuno-analysis automated
equipment and associated reagents, sensitive DNA
microchip identification process.
Finally, Bertin Technologies has recently acquired an
extensive knowledge of state-of-the-art techniques
for the modelling of epidemics through work
performed for the French MoD (project MODEPI).
Role in the project
As an expert in biotechnologies and in technologies related to
the overall chain of biological identification
functions like warning, bio-sampling, sample
preparation, bio-analysis, Bertin Technologies will
make
a major contribution to the
investigation of sensor technologies best suited to
the bio-threat scenarios that will
be selected in this project. Based
on their recent experience, and supplemented other
expert input both within the project team and beyond
(selected interviews of the most advanced groups in
Europe), Bertin Technologies
will also provide an analysis of the
potential of epidemic modelling in the operational
management of bio-crises at the different stages of
anticipation, prevention and reaction.
www.bertin.fr
3 – CENTRE D’ÉTUDES DU BOUCHET - CEB (FR)
Core business and skills
Part of DGA (Délégation Générale pour
l’Armement), the CEB (Centre d’Études
du Bouchet) is the expert centre of the French
MoD for the CBRN (Chemical, Biological,
Radiological, and Nuclear) defence. Its main
missions are: characterisation of the NRBC threat,
which involves the knowledge of the nature and the
effects of nuclear, radiological, chemical and
pathogenic biological agents, evaluation of the
effects of the dispersion of RBC agents using
mathematical models, public service missions such as
participation in the actions against bio-terrorism
and chemical terrorism, as well as judicial
expertise.
To fulfil these missions, the CEB has several
laboratories and installations for test equipments
especially well adapted to work with toxic agents
(chemical and biological)
Role in the project
Thanks to its solid background in the NRBC field,
the CEB will actively contribute to the evaluation
of scenario modelling capabilities, and the
Detection, Identification Protection,
Decontamination & Restoration analyses.
4 – CENTRE NATIONAL D’ÉTUDES SPATIALES -
CNES (FR)
Core business and skills
Founded in 1961, the Centre National
d’Études Spatiales (CNES) is the government
agency responsible for shaping and implementing
France’s space policy in Europe. Its task is to
invent the space systems of the future, bring space
technologies to maturity and guarantee France’s
independent access to space.
CNES is a pivotal player in Europe’s
space programme, and a major source of initiatives
and proposals that aim to maintain France and
Europe’s competitive edge. It conceives and executes
space programmes with its partners in the scientific
community and industry, and is closely involved in
many international cooperation programmes, the key
to any far-reaching space policy.
The agency’s more-than 2,400-strong
workforce constitutes an exceptional pool of talent,
with some 1,800 engineers and executives, 35 % of
whom are women.
Through its ability to innovate and its
forward-looking vision, CNES is helping to foster
new technologies that will benefit society as a
whole, focusing on:
·
access
to space
·
civil applications of
space
·
sustainable
development
·
science and
technology research
·
security
and
defence
In the specific field of
application related to BIO3R, CNES has developed
applications that bring together all satellites
capabilities to collect data from remote isolated
sites, to monitor and forecast the evolution of
environment related diseases, in order to provide
new challenging services in the domains of health,
risk and crisis management. Successful
demonstrations have been made in several countries.
CNES is member of S2E consortium
(Surveillance Spatiale des Epidémies, Epidemy
monitoring using space techniques) that promotes the
development of early warning networks using space
techniques in the domain of tele-epidemiology with a
climate/environment/health approach. S2E consortium
gathers CNES and its subsidiaries (MEDES, MEDIAS,
CLS), Institut Pasteur, INRA and Lyon Veterinarian
School. S2E consortium is implicated in several
early warning systems: Dengue in Argentina, West
Nile in Africa, Avian influenza in China...
Role in the project
Thanks to its experience in epidemiology
and risk management, CNES will contribute to
epidemiological modelling and to operational actors’
coordination tools.
www.cnes.fr
5 – EAU DE PARIS - EdP (FR)
Core business and skills
Eau de Paris
is a mixed public-private company of the City of
Paris in charge of water management. Its purpose is
to produce and transport the 615 000 cubic metres of
drinking water daily consumed in Paris.
Its ambition is to anticipate and to work for
sustainable guarantees for safe, high quality
drinking water for Paris, thanks to a proactive
prevention and resource protection policy.
It is also involved in international cooperation,
through solidarity missions (e.g. Mali) and
technical assistance missions (e.g. Vietnam and
Laos).
Role in the project
Eau de Paris provides leading expertise
in various fields related to water, and thus will
contribute to the threat analysis and scenarios on
the aspects linked to water contamination, as well
as participating in the operational users’ workshop.
www.eaudeparis.fr
6 – SWEDISH DEFENCE RESEARCH AGENCY -
FOI (SE)
Core business and skills
FOI is
an assignment-based authority under the Ministry of
Defence. The core activities are research, method
and technology development, as well as studies for
the use of defence and security.
The organisation employs around 1 350
people of whom around 950 are researchers. This
makes FOI the largest research institute in Sweden.
FOI provides leading expertise in a large
number of fields such as security-policy studies and
analyses in defence and security, assessment of
different types of threats, systems for control and
management of crises, protection against and
management of hazardous substances, IT-security and
the potential of new sensors.
Role in the project
Thanks to its expertise in the fields of
research, defence and security, FOI will have a role
in the threat assessment and in the identification
of plausible scenarios for a bio-attack, as well as
in the part dedicated to the crisis management and
restoration.
www.foi.se
7 – GROUPE HOSPITALIER PITIÉ-SALPÊTRIÈRE
- GHPS (FR)
Core business and skills
Through its department of bacteriology and hygiene,
directed by Professor JARLIER, the hospital is
involved in the evaluation of antibiotic resistance
(National References Centre).
Role in the project
GHPS
will be leader in the education and training part,
with the development of tools for the first line
responders in hospitals and laboratories.
8 – INDUSTRIEANLAGEN-BETRIEBSGESELLSCHAFT
mbH - IABG (DE)
Core business and skills
IABG was
founded in 1961 by the German Government as a
central analysis and testing organization for
Aerospace industries and the Ministry of Defence.
Privatized in 1993, IABG is today a leading European
technical-scientific service enterprise. It has more
than 1.000 employees in 12 European locations with
the Headquarters in Ottobrunn/Munich.
IABG provides analytic, technical and
operational solutions in the areas of security and
defence, Info-Com, aeronautics, space, automotive,
transport, environment. IABG runs test centres for
the European Space Agency, transformation centres
for the Bundeswehr, a life-science-solution centre
et al. Security and defence make up 40 % of the
revenue.
Role in the project
IABG’s expertise will be useful in the
field of threat analysis and for the definition of
plausible scenarios.
www.iabg.de
9 – ISTITUTO AFFARI INTERNAZIONALI -
IAI (IT)
Core business and skills
The Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI),
a non-profit organisation, is funded by individual
and corporate members, public and private
organisations, major international foundations, and
by a standing grant from the Italian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs.
The Institute's main objective is to promote an
understanding of the international problems.
Main experiences in the field of security
research:
·
IAI has developed
significant expertise in organising and bringing
together the security user community, meaning
bringing the expertise of the main security users
into technological projects (such as police forces,
defence administration, customs…). IAI also ensures
the strategic coherence of such projects with the
main security policies in Europe, such as “security
of the citizen” and the European Strategy for
Security.
·
IAI has a long
tradition in developing security scenarios.
Role in the project
IAI will provide:
·
an expertise in
security policy and scenarios drafting,
·
a network of users,
expertise for interviews and workshops with security
officers,
·
a network of
partners’ institutes that can provide the same level
of expertise and contacts for each European country,
·
an overall capacity
in strategic analysis and linkage to the main
policies for security (dissemination).
It will also contribute to the analyses
on the crisis management.
www.iai.it
10 – MULTITEL - MULT (BE)
Core business and skills
Multitel
is a research centre working on Telecommunication
and Signal Processing. There are five fields of
activity in the centre: speech and signal
processing, image processing, networking, photonics
and optical communications.
Two of these 4 departments will be
involved in the “BIO3R” project.
·
The signal
processing department with its valuable expertise on
collaborative networks through its involvement in
the EUREKA ITEA LASCOT project (LArge Scale
COllaborative decision support Technology). The
objective of the LASCOT project was the development
of tools to enable collaborative decision-making
between various stakeholders.
One of the scenarios
concerned
bio-terrorism.
·
The Applied
Photonics department focusing on the design,
prototyping and applications of optical
fibre
based lasers and components. Typically the
department is involved in the development of:
.optical fibre sensors
and bio-sensors and
.narrow-band, tuneable and high-power fibre lasers,
which are used for sensing, lidar, telecom, medicine
and material processing.
Role in the project
Multitel is involved in the part
dealing with the detection and identification,
thanks to its expertise in bio-sensors.
The contribution of the Applied
Photonics Department will consist in the description
and comparison of some methods, based on optical
fibre
technology (optical fibre
biosensors), that can be used for identifying a
number of dangerous bio-chemical species.
More specifically, this
department will evaluate the aspects related to the
sensibility, stability and repeatability of such an
optical detection.
In addition it will investigate
the possibility of using an optical
fibre
detection technique for the early warning on the
presence of bio-chemical molecules in several
practical situations and environments (some specific
points will be studied, for instance the
possibilities of using reduced cost optical
fibre
bio-sensors in environments such as the airports,
where this type of sensor will be critical to detect
in real time and at low concentration the presence
in the air of specific substances related to a
possible bio-terrorist attack).
Thanks to its expertise in collaborative
decision making, the R&D Centre will lead the team
dedicated to the coordination of operational actors
and networks.
www.multitel.be
11 – NOMISMA S.p.A. - NOMISMA (IT)
Core business and skills
Founded in Bologna in 1981, by a group of
leading economists, Nomisma is a limited
company. Originally established as a research
institute to study and analyse the features and
dynamics of the real economy at the regional,
national and international levels, over the course
of its evolution, Nomisma began providing
consultancy and technical assistance services as
well, first in the Italian home market and then
abroad. Currently, Nomisma comprises several
research and consultancy units, each specialising in
a different field, including Health System and
Policies, International Security and Strategic
Scenarios.
Nomisma's research approach seeks to
understand the complexity of pluralistic systems in
different contexts. Therefore, the focus is on both
economic and policy spheres as well as the interplay
between the two. Also, the dynamics of innovation in
research and technology development (RTD) are
carefully assessed. Research projects have been
developed to examine the topics of process and
product innovation, management of innovation,
business process innovation, and, recently, on the
innovative impact of information technologies.
Role in the project
Nomisma will deal with legal and social
aspects. It will also be involved in the part
concerning resilience, including medical
countermeasures, crisis management and cross
evaluation health policies.
www.nomisma.it
12 - ROBERT KOCH-INSTITUT - RKI (DE)
Core business and skills
The Centre for Biological Security (Zentrum
für Biologische Sicherheit,
ZBS) is the central institution for
issues of biological Security. The centre’s tasks
include, in close cooperation with the other
departments of the Robert Koch Institut, the
development of concepts for identifying attacks with
biological agents using epidemiological analyses and
investigative epidemiology in addition to the
diagnostics of relevant pathogens (prevention,
identification and defence).
The
ZBS is divided into a Federal
Information Centre for Biological Security (Informationsstelle
des Bundes für Biologische Sicherheit,
IBBS) and four departments (ZBS
1-4). The
ZBS collaborates routinely with the
relevant institutions for civil defence, with
federal states and town councils (including
institutions for civil protection). The
ZBS functions in accordance with
the Federal Ministry for Health at an international
level, particularly within the
EU:
- Federal
Information Centre for Biological Security (IBBS).
It has a wide expertise in the fields of:
·
Scenario modelling
from the perspective of the specificities of
bio-terrorist attacks
·
Evaluation of the
origin of disease outbreaks;
·
Modes of
dissemination,
sample
collection, detection;
·
Establishment and
development of information networks and cooperation;
·
Coordination of
measures for the defence against bio-terrorist
pathogens;
·
Recommendations and
guidelines for unusual epidemics;
·
Assessment of needs
for diagnostics, anti-infectious agents, vaccines
and other pharmaceuticals;
·
Collaboration with
authorities of other departments;
·
Processing
of scientific
data;
·
Establishment of
databases on bio-terrorism;
·
Providing
information to the general public;
·
Providing
information to the scientific sector;
·
Providing
information to the political decision makers;
·
Media-related work
in coordination with the institute's management and
press department.
The IBBS collaborates with the
EU Network on Bio-terrorism (BICHAT)
in accordance with the Federal Ministry of Health
and Social Security (BMGS)
and with the Public Health directorate of the
European Commission. It also has contacts with the
corresponding civil and military institutions both
within and outside the
EU, the
WHO,
FAO and other
UN institutions, and there are
cooperation with relevant national and international
scientific institutions. The IBBS also takes part in
the implementation of national and international
specialists’ forums.
- ZBS
1 Highly Pathogenic Viruses
- ZBS
2 Highly Pathogenic Microbial Pathogens – Bacteria
and Fungi
- ZBS
3 Microbial Toxins
-ZBS
4 Imaging Techniques & Rapid, Morphology-Based
Diagnostics of Infectious Organisms
Role in the project
RKI will have a key role in the part
about crisis management and restoration, and
contribute to the team dedicated to the medical
countermeasures.
www.rki.de
13 – SAGEM DEFENCE SECURITY- SDS (FR)
Core business and skills
Sagem Defence Security
(Sagem DS) is the subsidiary of the newly born
SAFRAN group (10,4 G€ turnover 2004, 55 000 persons
working mainly in aeronautics equipment and engines)
and represents the whole branch of the group in the
field of defence and security equipment and systems
with a turnover of 1,2 G€ and 6 756 persons). Sagem
is an internationally-based high-technology group.
The second largest French group in the field of
telecommunications and the third largest European
company in electronics for defence and security,
Sagem maintains a presence in more than twenty
countries.
Regarding the project, Sagem is
Europe's leading manufacturer in inertial systems
and third in the world, European leader in optronic
systems, world leader in fingerprint-based
biometrics (biometric identification and systems,
secure terminals, smart cards and certification).
Role in the project
By tracking infection through different
means, the propagation of bio-agent will be defined
and displayed. The protection of the population or
the definition of an 'at risk area' would thus be
easier to enforce. Because of its expertise in
sensors, Sagem will define the tracking, tracing and
identification capabilities of those sensors, their
efficiency and reliability in this type of
situations, and the analysis of the collected data.
www.sagem.com
14 - NETHERLANDS ORGANISATION FOR
APPLIED SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH TNO - TNO (NL)
Core business and skills
TNO is
an independent research organisation, making
knowledge applicable for companies, government
bodies and public organisations. TNO employs some
5,000 employees who develop and apply knowledge. TNO
provides contract research and specialist
consultancy, tests and certifies products and
services, and issues an independent evaluation of
quality. TNO is active in five core areas: TNO
Quality of Life, TNO Defence, Security and Safety,
TNO Science and Industry, TNO Built Environment and
Geosciences, and TNO Information and Communication
Technology.
Role in the project
TNO will participate in work on Threat
analysis (scenarios & modelling) and Detection and
identification. As coordinator of the project IMPACT
(PASR-2004), TNO will provide relevant input from
IMPACT into BIO3R.
www.tno.nl
15 – UNIVERSITÉ CATHOLIQUE DE LOUVAIN -
UCL (BE)
Core business and skills
The Applied Molecular Technologies of the
Catholic University of Louvain facilities
host university and military molecular research
activities into infectious diseases (human and
animal).
Key Technologies and Core Competences:
·
Research and
clinical applications: several innovative projects
have been carried through within LTMA in the area of
genomics. In the field of infectious diseases, AMT
has developed expertise in molecular detection and
the identification of bacterial and mycobacterial
pathogens in human and animal samples, and on
bacterial antibiotic resistance.
·
Service to
industry: LTMA is part of many academic-industrial
collaborations, in the context of research projects
but also because of research contracts agreed with
industrial partners.
AMT has the facilities and equipment
necessary for molecular research on pathogens. These
include a microarray platform (equipment for
fluorescence or colorimetric detection; expertise
for DNA or RNA labelling), sequence analyzer
(conventional and pyrosequencer), real-time PCR, P2
and P3 facilities.
Role in the project
The LAMT will provide its expertise mainly for
crisis management, as well as contributing in the
field of detection and identification.
www.uclouvain.be
16 – UNIVERSITÉ HENRI POINCARÉ of NANCY -
UHP (FR)
Core business and skills
The Department of Environment and Public Health of
the
University of Nancy,
headed by Professor HARTEMANN, is currently dealing
with the evaluation of the impact of the environment
on human health.
Role in the project
It will take part in the cross evaluation of the
existing health policies regarding bio-terrorism
developed in European countries.
www.uhp-nancy.fr
17 – UNIVERSITÄTSKLINIKUM BONN - UKB (DE)
Core business and skills
The Institute of Hygiene and Public Health of the
UKB,
directed by Professor EXNER, is one of the largest
and leading institutions in the field of water
hygiene, hospital hygiene and hygiene policy in
Germany. It is also the office of the German society
for hygiene and environmental medicine. In addition,
the Institute has been selected as a WHO
collaborating centre for health, promoting water
management and risk communication.
Role in the project
UKB will participate in the review of the
various health policies of the European countries.
This aims at asserting the specific needs of the
state members, in order to be able to suggest
measures for developing a global response on a
European scale.
www.uniklinik-bonn.de
18 – UNIVERSITÉ PARIS 7 DENIS DIDEROT
- UP7DD (FR)
Core business and skills
Through its department of microbiology, directed by
Professor Andremont, the hospital Bichat is involved
in the evaluation of antibiotic resistance (National
References Centre).
Role in the project
GHBCB will be involved in the development
of tools for the education and training of first
line professionals who would be involved in the
response to an act of bioterrorism.
www.univ-paris7.fr
19 – UNIVERSITY OF READING - UoR (UK)
Core business and skills
The Informatics Research Centre at the
University of Reading
is a new unit dedicated to bringing together
research in the social sciences and humanities and
research in information sciences. Dr. Adams teaches
Social Legal and Ethical aspects of Computer
Science. He has close connections with colleagues in
the University of Reading School of Law, in
particular those working in the areas of Human
Rights and EU law. His other current work on the
social and legal ramifications of developments in
technology include work on the legal and economic
problems with peer to peer file sharing and
copyright issues, technological and psychological
issues relating to illegal image distribution
online, UK government policy on open source
licensing of the results of government-funded R&D
leading to the development of software. It is
expected that expert assistance in privacy and human
rights law on the international, EU and UK levels
will be sought from appropriate colleagues with Dr.
Adams bringing both his own legal studies and his
understanding of the technical capabilities and
limitations of potential systems to focus the
attention of the project team on appropriate areas
of study.
Role in the project
UoR will study the legal, social and
ethical aspects which are linked to the developments
in technology or medicine, and to the problem of
balancing individual freedoms versus common goods.
Moreover, it will have a role in the dissemination
of the results, and thus be responsible for the
development of the web portal
www.reading.ac.uk
20 – MILITARY INSTITUTE OF HYGIENE AND
EPIDEMIOLOGY- WIHE.PL
Core business and skills
The Military Institute of Hygiene &
Epidemiology Warsaw, Poland (WIHE.PL) carries
out research, developmental, diagnostic,
prophylactic, and training activities as well as
providing expertise and services in the fields of
hygiene, epidemiology, microbiology, pharmacology,
toxicology, radiobiology and defence against
biological, chemical, and radiological/nuclear
weapons. WIHE.PL participates in the development of
systems for detection, identification, and
countering of biological, chemical, and radiological
contaminations of the environment; prevention
against and management of health injuries caused by
natural and industrial disasters and catastrophes;
examinations of bio-medical effects of and
development of protective measures against highly
dangerous biological pathogens and toxins.
The main tasks of the Interdepartmental
Section for Protection against Bio-terrorism
include:
·
analysis of the
current and future threats posed by biological
weapons and bio-terrorism;
·
studies on emerging
countermeasure methods against biological weapons
and bio-terrorism.
Role
in the project
Through two entities, the
Interdepartmental Section for Protection against
Bioterrorism, (Warsaw, Poland) and the Biological
Threats Identification and Countering Centre (Pulawy,
Poland), the WIHE.PL will provide its expertise in
the fields of detection and identification, of
protection and decontamination, and of medical
countermeasures. It will also contribute to
education and training, and to the cross evaluation
of the European member states health policies.
www.wihe.waw.pl
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