NEWSIMR&D Project has in total 9 WPs. Check them out below!
1.Kick-off meeting (workshop). All team members will coordinate positions and expectations in order to develop joint position and make improvements in the basic plan. All potential misunderstandings need to be resolved prior to the project start. All necessary changes should be discussed and accepted if not influence overall goal and promised deliverables. Groups under each WP should be organized. Decision will be made on which innovative approaches are feasible and in what areas.
2. Detail Plan & Schedule development. The better planning in the project early phases the more effective and efficient project execution. Results from prior analyses will be discussed and detail plan & schedule will be developed. Tasks will precisely be described and distributed to participants and particular resources. Responsible Accountable Consulted Informed (RACI) matrix will be agreed as a main resource and coordination and management tool.
3. Detail financial and quality plan. This plan would be developed accordingly in order to achieve more precise financial and quality planning. Preparation for procurement process should be performed in order to start development of National Simulation Centre as soon as possible. All team members will take part in this work package. PI and P2 will have the main responsibility for planning activities and roles and responsibilities distribution. They will also have mandate to resolve all potential dilemmas and misunderstandings between team members and to set working standards and schedule. P1, P3 and P4 will be especially engaged in team building activities, while P5, P6, P7 and P8 will have major role in organization establishment. The drafting of Responsible Accountable Consulted Informed (RACI) matrix will be the task of P11 and P12. P10 and P9 shall work on preparation for procurement process concerning National Simulation Centre establishment.
Main objective is the in-depth analyses of current and desirable state of legislation of the subject matter in the Republic of Serbia, especially in the comparison with EU legislative standards. The team members will provide detailed and argumentative assessment of the positive legal framework and point on the good sides and also potential weaknesses, questionable issues and dilemmas (gaps). With the consideration of legal topics, work package will include the assessment of the level of implementation of current legal solutions. The indicators of the quality, effectiveness and efficacy of legal framework will be presented and considered. The desirable state of legislation is supposed to be the main finding of this work package, along with the tracing of potential implementation paths.
Crisis situation brings a lot of uncertainty and require a quick reaction. A complete and timely response to all possible problems, risks and threats is not possible, but it is possible to reduce their negative effects. In response to the crisis, the resilience of the system is important (primarily understood through the existence of the necessary organization, forces and means, ie resources), as well as its flexibility (possibility of quick adjustment). A more effective and efficient response to the occurrence of crisis situations can be achieved through a set of preparatory actions that include proactive preparation of human and material resources, ie management of preventive activities. Problem arise due the fact that on national level different governmental bodies are responsible for individual logistics functions or there is overlapping between many of them. Goal is to highlight the positive and negative aspects and make recommendations that could improve the management of logistical support to crisis situations in Serbia, especially in the field of resilience, but also flexibility.
1. Strategy & Logistic relation. Recent safety & security crises were strongly driven by logistics (COVID 19). One strategy was before and the different was when certain resources were obtained (protective masks for e.g.). Valuable experiences were obtained during recent and actual crises by which the logistical support to crisis situations in Serbia could be improved, especially in the field of resilience, but also flexibility.
2.Resources scan and examination. Available resources are scarce and is not a Serbia specific. Preparations for crisis situations in Serbia are not systematic and comprehensive. COVID 19 pandemic crises reveal that the positive aspects are primarily related to flexibility and improvisation. It has become clear that Serbia must decide to increase reserves and stocks as the main source of supply in crisis situations but the question is on to the what level. Previous depends on the production and import possibilities. Availability of possibly needed resources is to be scanned and examined in order to conclude about strategic goals and orientation in the building of the National logistic system. Field study, questionnaires and surveys would be used in data gathering.
3. National Logistics Management & Organization. Successful management before, during, as well as in the recovery period of the crisis, is extremely important for reducing the consequences. Like any other type of management, crisis management involves planning, organizing, assigning tasks (command), coordination and control. These activities must be carried out by existing organizational entities in accordance with regulations and procedures, especially in amorphous, fragmented and large systems such as national logistics. These aspects should be examined in order to propose possible improvements. Field study, questionnaires and surveys would be used in data gathering.
4. Rules & Regulations. Emphasis has to be placed on the analysis of current regulations and procedures related to the logistical aspect of the response to the crisis situations. The analysis of existing regulations governing crisis management, and especially the planning process, led to conclusions that indicate a lack of clear division of responsibilities, integrated or coordinated planning, but also the possibility of effective or appropriate preparation and management of necessary resources, which does not contribute much to the system resistance.
5. Strategic Management Methods and Tools. There is a leg in the crises respond planning process. It is caused not only by obsolete and inadequate rules ®ulations & procedures but also by lack of applicable modern methods and tools. Examination of possible application of modern methods and tools is the goal of this sub activity. The following goal is to explore the possibilities of modeling and simulations introduction, as the modern and most capable methods, especially as a part of the forecasting and strategic decision-making process. Field study, questionnaires and surveys would be used in data gathering. PI will have crucial role in the coordinating tasks and responsibilities of all participants in this work package. He will also be the leading researcher for examination of Strategy & Logistic relation and the analyses of Logistics Resources. Together with other team members he will publish academic papers in the subject matter. National Logistics Management & Organization features examination using adequate methods will be the main activities for P4 and P9. P9 will, jointly with PI, be engaged in the National Logistics Rules & Regulations academic analyses. Publishing of findings will be in the form of academic papers and other scientific inputs. P10 and P11 will publish academic papers in which they will present finding gained during the analyses of applicability of Strategic Management Methods and Tools in the subject matter.
Main objective is the in-depth analyses of current National Security Strategy of the Republic of Serbia as the highest strategic document whose implementation prevents and protects national values and interests from security challenges, risks and threats in all areas of social life. It represents the starting point for the development of other strategic and doctrinal documents, public policies and normative legal acts, and is based on a wide range of broad security assessment of current trends in international relations as well as economic, political, military and other areas. The team members will provide detailed and argumentative assessment of the comprehensiveness and quality of the National Security Strategy, methodology of its development and evaluation of security assessment as determinants of the Strategy, and point on the good sides and also potential weaknesses, questionable issues and dilemmas. Analysis heading towards relations of National Security Strategy and other regulative and organization in place would be examined. Also, team members will identify and analyze factors relevant to the assessment of global, regional and national security levels. After the analysis, proposals for redefining the National Security Strategy of the Republic of Serbia will be given in order to more adequately respond to new security risks, challenges and threats, and the impact of proposed changes to the Strategy on other strategic and doctrinal documents, public policies and normative legal acts will be assessed.
The aim of WP 5 is to establish the National Simulation Centre for research, training and education in the area of Safety & Security (NSC) in Serbia. The main objectives of the NSC are to create a modern environment in line with the current national and EU policies for practical skills gaining and raising the awareness of safe & secure society. The Centre will give opportunities to students from Serbia but also from Balkan region, as well as professionals engaged in this field to acquire experience in a practical way by attending workshops, simulation exercises including usage of the most advanced techniques & technologies. It would give researchers an opportunity to explore politics, strategies, organizational, management and logistical solutions. FSS will provide space and needed facilities for the Centre. Some of functionalities would be shared with the institutions involved in the project.
The comprehensive scenarios will include advanced simulations of operational environments, telecommunications and threats, and will be delivered through virtual reality environments. This will result in highly realistic scenarios allowing advanced interactivity. In addition, it will include tools for trainers and researchers enabling them to define and modify scenarios, monitor simulation sessions and provide feedback in real-time, as well as evaluate trainee performance and set training curricula for individual personnel in the post-training session phase.
1.Risks selection. Three to five most representative risks would be selected for modelling and examination. Stress would be given to the actual safety and security risks like: epidemic, crowd control – migration management, industrial caused air pollution, critical infrastructure attacks, Cyber-attack, Wild land Fires, Flood or the combination of thereof (like attack on critical infrastructure which would have outcome in explosion and air and ground pollution). Special attention would be given to the Crises Communication related risks. These risks are most likely to happen in Serbia. Modeling and simulation experimenting would give researchers a opportunity to explore politics, strategies, organizational, management and logistical solutions.
2. Training of supervisors and operators (students and researchers). The safety and security trainings will prepare the participants to act on three levels:
- operational level: a single actor or a small team trained with 3D immersive headsets or virtual platforms to ad-hoc reactions and quick decisions in a given risky situation
- tactical level: the leader of a small team is given objectives and is to select and implement the optimal tactic meeting those objectives. A 3D immersive environment can test the outcome of such tactics.
- strategic level: an incident command team pilots the response to a large-scale event. The 3D platform implements the team’s strategic choices and the situation unfolds accordingly.
All three levels can be gathered in one simulation exercise.
3. Scenario modeling. During scenario modeling faze results from the previous steps (work packages) would be used. The modeling steps involve:
• Creation of test scenarios
• Timeline, events sequence and resources assignment
• Decision-making algorithms, criteria and rules application
• Key performance indicators selection
• Programing
• Test and validation for each variant solution
• Experiments execution
• Tuning of the exercise parameters
• Verification and validation of results
• Predictions and scoring
• After action review
The PI and project members will provide a detailed dissemination plan that will define the objectives, timeline and scope of the disseminating activities. Communication measures for promoting the Project findings will be designed to maximize the involvement of all potential interested parties. Communication material will be delivered along the different project phases, tailored made according to different target groups of stakeholders involved. The project’s results will be communicated to the academic and general public in order to raise awareness about subject matter, inform about the benefits that can be generated through implementation of project results, and bridge the communication gap between scientists, professionals and general public. The main activities will include the organization and realization of yearly conference to present main findings to domestic academic community and professionals (three times during the Project). Every team member would be obliged to present a paper. Universities from EU and region will be invited to participate as well as representatives of affected authorities, Security & Safety agencies, companies and government bodies.
Dissemination would consist of: creation and maintenance of the website and social media links, establishment of e-library and doing with events, news, questions and answers, mass media shows etc. All participants will incorporate the web site into their websites and update information. Leading partner together with other participants will organize information disperse via workshops, seminars, project info days, journals, university and the National Simulation Centre open days as well as in the local press, mass and social media.
Objectives: - Realistic plans & schedule development and execution - Carry out the whole organization of project’s activities and communication with participants, - Coordinate activities in order to meet the project objectives, - Control achievement of milestones and timely realization of deliverables, - Ensure the effective administrative, financial and technical management of the project, - Reporting, - Quality assurance, - Risk reduction, - Sustainability.