GUARDIANS: inteGrated Users driven risks Assessment platfoRm for DecIsion mAkers in Nuclear criSis

The GUARDIANS project – inteGrated Users-driven risks Assessment platfoRm for DecIsion mAkers in Nuclear criSis – aims to develop new technologies and strategies to enhance emergency response in nuclear crises. Growing concerns about potential major accidents in nuclear power plants, heightened by current geopolitical tensions, necessitate that EU countries enhance their preparedness and response capabilities. A major reactor accident can lead to widespread contamination across large geographical areas, posing serious risks to public health and necessitating containment efforts and evacuation plans.

GUARDIANS will develop innovative, cost-effective and sustainable technologies and emergency protective measures to assist decision-makers, first responders, and receivers. These include advanced radiological detection technologies (radioactive gas sensors, active dosimeter networks), autonomous drones and robots equipped with radiological measurement capabilities, digital triage and video analysis systems, and new decontamination and medical countermeasure strategies including hydrogels.

All these resources will be integrated into GUARDNET, a web-based decision-support platform built upon existing operational tools, capable of handling real-time data processing, mission-critical operations, and simulation services. GUARDNET will serve as a successful bridge between disaster management systems and radiological/nuclear (RN) oriented Decision Support Systems (DSS), enabling real-time risk assessment and situational awareness during nuclear crisis events.

The project emphasises two major field tests and a systematic assessment of the alignment between population needs and authorities’ response strategies. GUARDIANS aims at accelerating the decision-making process, reducing intervention times, and mitigating the human and environmental impacts through improved protection of populations and infrastructures.