CBRNE Challenges in Europe and How the GROUNDUP Project Is Responding

CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive threats), represents one of the most complex security domains in modern society. These risks are low probability but high impact, often requiring rapid coordination across multiple disciplines, institutions, and countries.

What makes CBRNE particularly challenging is not only the nature of the threats themselves, but also the environment in which they must be managed: interconnected supply chains, rapidly evolving technologies, and increasingly hybrid security risks that combine physical and digital dimensions.

Across Europe, the ability to respond effectively depends on how well science, innovation, policy, and operational practice are connected.

1. Fragmented Innovation Ecosystems

CBRNE research and innovation are often dispersed across universities, research institutes, and specialised organisations that do not always collaborate effectively. This leads to duplication of effort and slow translation of research into operational tools.

2. Gap Between Research and Deployment

Many promising technologies remain at the prototype or laboratory stage because they lack pathways to market or operational adoption. End-users such as first responders or security agencies are not always involved early in the development process.

3. Limited Cross-Sector Collaboration

Effective CBRNE preparedness requires cooperation between academia, industry, policymakers, and operational stakeholders. In practice, these groups often operate in silos, limiting knowledge exchange and joint innovation.

4. Uneven Regional Capacity

Regions in Southern Central and Eastern Europe face additional challenges, including fewer structured innovation ecosystems, limited access to funding networks, and reduced exposure to large-scale European innovation initiatives.

5. Skills and Knowledge Gaps

CBRNE fields require highly specialised expertise, yet there is often a shortage of trained professionals who combine technical knowledge with innovation and entrepreneurial skills.

The GROUNDUP project was created specifically to strengthen the CBRNE innovation ecosystem in Southern Central and Eastern Europe by tackling these structural barriers and improving collaboration across sectors.

According to the project’s approach, the focus is not only on developing technologies, but on building an integrated ecosystem where innovation can grow sustainably. (groundup-project.eu)

1. Building a Connected Innovation Ecosystem

GROUNDUP actively works to connect fragmented stakeholders (academia, industry, researchers, students, and end-users) into a more coherent and collaborative network. By fostering structured interaction between these groups, the project reduces isolation and encourages joint problem-solving across the CBRNE value chain.

2. Strengthening Academia–Industry Collaboration

A core pillar of GROUNDUP is bridging the gap between research and practical application. Academic institutions contribute scientific excellence and research capacity, while industry partners provide market insight, operational requirements, and commercialisation pathways. This collaboration ensures that innovations are not only scientifically sound but also practically usable and scalable.

3. Supporting Young Innovators and Skills Development

GROUNDUP places strong emphasis on capacity building, particularly for students, early-career researchers, and young entrepreneurs. Through mentoring, training, and innovation-oriented activities, the project helps develop the next generation of CBRNE experts who understand both technical and business dimensions of innovation.

4. Promoting Knowledge Transfer and Mentoring

One of the key mechanisms used by GROUNDUP is structured mentoring, which connects experienced professionals with emerging talent. This enables direct knowledge transfer, accelerates learning, and improves the readiness of early-stage ideas for real-world application.

5. Encouraging a Culture of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Beyond technical development, GROUNDUP supports the creation of a stronger innovation culture in the region, one that values entrepreneurship, cross-border collaboration, and continuous knowledge exchange. This is essential for transforming research outputs into sustainable solutions that can be adopted by industry and public sector stakeholders.

6. Strengthening Regional Integration in Europe

By supporting collaboration across Southern CEE and linking regional actors with broader European innovation networks, GROUNDUP helps reduce disparities and improve participation in EU-level research and innovation initiatives.

CBRNE challenges are complex, interconnected, and constantly evolving. No single institution or sector can address them alone.

The GROUNDUP project recognises that the solution lies not only in better technology, but in better collaboration. By connecting academia, industry, and young innovators within a shared ecosystem, it helps transform fragmented efforts into coordinated innovation.

In doing so, GROUNDUP is contributing to a more resilient, capable, and collaborative CBRNE landscape in Europe, where knowledge is not just created, but effectively turned into impact.