Systematic assessment of innovative solutions for crisis management - Trial guidance methodology (CWA 17514:2020 E)

Abstract

This CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA) is based on the results of DRIVER+ (Driving Innovation for European Resilience) that was a research project funded by the European Commission. The aim of that project was to develop a rigorous, yet pragmatic methodology for the assessment of innovative solutions in the area of crisis management (CM). The results of this project together with this CWA will be used to establish a methodology that will: a) enable practitioners to systematically assess the added value of an innovative solution; b) enhance dialogue and co-operation among solution providers and practitioners; c) support the goal to have a more objective assessment in the procurement process. The trial guidance methodology (TGM) is designed for CM practitioners who have identified one or more capability gaps or who have in mind solutions that can address their needs or their belief that improvements in processes, practices or procedures might be possible. Before adopting those solutions and investing time and money to figure out what fits best, the TGM provides step-by-step guidelines on how to assess solutions in non-operational contexts (such as a trial) through a structured approach. The TGM directly addresses the context of CM and deals with investigating and assessing innovation through a broad set of tools available within the DRIVER+ test-bed. The DRIVER+ test-bed consists of three elements: The TGM, the technical-test-bed infrastructure (TTI) and the accompanying training module (TM). Within the scope of this CWA only the trial guidance methodology, excluding the TTI and TM have been addressed. Experience gained in the EC-funded H2020 HEIMDALL project was contributed to the CWA. The way the TGM was adopted and used in HEIMDALL to test the technical solutions for response planning and scenario building was of particular interest.