​​CBRN HUB

We hereby invite you to the Launch of the CBRN Hub in the UAE under the directorship of Knowledge Group in partnership with Orbrix Technical and Occupational Skills Training and the cooperation of the EU CBRN CoE Office for the Gulf Cooperation Council Region which is to be held virtually on the 16th November 2020 at 4:00pm to 5:30pm.

Knowledge Group is the consulting and training solutions arm of Abu Dhabi University to the MENA community – both private and government.

Through the synergy between the CBRN HUB and the EU CBRN Centres of Excellence (CoE) Secretariat for the GCC in Abu Dhabi and its experts, we believe such cooperation will be mutually beneficial and help elevate the outreach of both the CBRN HUB and of the CoE Regional Secretariat for the Gulf Cooperation Council in Abu Dhabi.

The Hub will provide a “one-stop shop” for all aspects related to CBRN education, training, exercises and research. By combining a broad spectrum of expertise, knowledge, experience and resources under one roof, including national and international experts from the Knowledge Group and Orbrix, the Hub will provide focused management and prioritization of capabilities development in line with national and regional policies and priorities.

The UAE CBRN Hub will work in close cooperation with the EU CoE Initiative, and International Organizations such as the IAEA, OPCW, WHO and INTERPOL, to ensure that the training is relevant, adapted to the constantly evolving security threat basis and in line with up-to-date doctrines, practices and safety standards in the area.

The UAE CBRN Hub will raise the prestige and leadership of the UAE in CBRN preparedness and response by becoming a regional centre for CBRN training and research. Working with all stakeholders in CBRN, the CBRN Hub could open its training and education programme to the CBRN community in the GCC countries, and eventually to organizations from the entire Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The UAE has the technological knowledge and the de facto role to be the regional leader in CBRN field of Training, Development and Research, and this CBRN Hub being launched by Knowledge Group in partnership with Orbrix in the UAE will fill a regional gap and the long overdue training needs of the Middle East will therefore be met.

A CBRN emergency calls for cooperation of a very wide spectrum of organizations and could very well require transborder and international collaboration. Interoperability and a consistently high level of response capabilities are key factors in ensuring an efficient and effective response. The UAE CBRN Hub will promote standardization, consistent high-level preparedness and high-quality response performance through individual, single-organization, multi-disciplinary and regional training and research activities.

The Hub will serve the following critical requirements:

• Hosting of International CBRN, Emergency Management and Crisis Management Events in the Region (MENA).
• Training & Development in line with finalising a National Training Strategy with all Government entities and stakeholders.
• Our Portfolio for the hub will include, but will not be limited to, support in the following areas:
  
  • Research.
  • Advisory Services.
  • Training Programs.
  • Qualifications.
  • Conferences.
  • Network Support Research Working with the key agencies.
• The Hub has plans for a series of research projects to support national and regional policy development in areas such as:
  
  • Development of the incident management system for mass casualty events in the UAE.
  • Development of local and national response plans.
  • Evaluation of service responses to individual crises.
  • Risk assessments for a variety of areas, activities and infrastructure elements.
  • The role of social media in the UAE during crisis and major emergencies and public perception.
  • Security of water reservoirs and supplies.
  • Nuclear safety and risk perception.
  • Threats to essential industries and their vulnerabilities.
  • Potential economic impacts on the UAE (Dubai, AD) from CBRNe acts of terrorism.
  • Common safety and security concerns in the Gulf and the need for a coordinated regional strategy.
  • Radiological threats and vulnerabilities in the rapidly expanding nuclear sector.
  • Nuclear smuggling and the geopolitical role of the UAE.
  • Effectiveness of public communication on CBRN response.
• Virtual and augmented reality is becoming the new standard in command and control training for critical emergencies. AR/VR offers an efficient, effective and state-of-the art tool for education, team and individual training. Such training can be on-site but it also offers a unique and unequalled capability to train teams and organizations in different locations and different counties, together. The UAE CBRN Hub plans to establish an AR/VR learning centre in the UAE. This will be the first of its kind in the Gulf Region and the Middle East and will join the ranks of the world’s top AR/VR training academies for civil protection and emergency responders, including those in Singapore, Korea and Conventry University, UK.

We look forward to you joining us in celebrating this launch as the first step towards raising the prestige and leadership of the UAE in regional and international CBRN preparedness and response.