Projects’ results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following outcomes:

• Development of a holistic vision of crisis management after telluric (e.g. volcanic, seismic, tsunami, landslide) or extreme climate events (e.g. floods, storms, storm surges, fires, droughts) producing impacts on critical assets (e.g. infrastructures, industries) and creation of new management framework for handling NaTech crises;
• Enhanced existing crisis management tools to develop a common platform (shared among public and private operators) allowing cross-border exchanges and decision-making, while respecting legal frameworks and responsibilities;
• Demonstrated operational protocols and development of standard operating procedures able to respond to NaTech crises in cross-border configurations, including comprehensive risk modelling of worst-case scenarios taking into account cascading effects and future impacts of climate change, and taking into consideration spatial information and data;
• Improvement of our understanding and capabilities to identify and mitigate risks associated with interdependencies across infrastructures and other human (social and economic) systems.

Scope:

The confluence of incidents in recent years has brought renewed concerns over our systemic resilience to external shocks arising from natural-technological (NaTech) disasters. This is particularly acute in the event of disruption in the transport, power, water supply and communication sectors in highly populated and industrialised areas, or when such events raise the likelihood of cascading effects with severe impacts on communities and the economy that are hard or impossible to predict. The main focus on NaTech risks lies on a thorough understanding of the vulnerability of industrial sites and critical infrastructure, and the potential impact natural hazards can have on such technological resources. This entails the identification of both physical (safety of building facilities and structures) and operational vulnerabilities, often addressing multi-hazard conditions. Innovative methods are required for analysing worst-case scenarios, and informing decision-makers about the crosscutting and shared responses to different crises given available resources.

Research involving multiple fields of expertise, including spatial information (to be specified), is also required to improve hi-tech capacities for operational response systems to better cope with natural and/or technological disasters occurring in Europe (and in overseas territories) in an integrated manner. This will rely on a knowledge sharing among natural and technological risks communities to develop a holistic vision for an integrated operational crisis management of NaTech disasters.

This topic is part of a coordination initiative between ESA and the EC on Earth System Science. Under the EC-ESA Earth System Science Initiative both institutions aim at coordinating efforts to support complementary collaborative projects, funded on the EC side through Horizon Europe and on the ESA side through the ESA FutureEO programme. Proposals should include a work package, means and resources for coordination with complementary projects funded under the ESA FutureEO initiative.

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.

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, and ensure close synergies with international conventions such as the Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents (TEIA) / Implementation of natural hazard-triggered technological accident principles, and the Sendai Framework for Action.

Specific Topic Conditions:

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 5-7 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.