Science, Security and Resilience Meet at CMDR COE Annual Conference
Date: (02-06-2026)
The 14th CMDR COE Annual Conference on Crisis Management and Disaster Response and the 4th International Conference on Environmental Protection and Disaster Risks is underway, bringing together representatives from NATO, national institutions, academia, research organisations, emergency management structures, industry, and the wider crisis management and disaster response community.
The event is hosted by the Crisis Management and Disaster Response Centre of Excellence and provides a high-level platform for professional exchange on some of the most pressing security and resilience challenges today. The conference focuses on the growing interconnection between natural and human-induced hazards, environmental risks, climate-related disasters, technological innovation, business continuity, and the need for stronger preparedness across civil and military structures.
The opening of the conference was attended by Mr Lyubomir Monov, Deputy Minister of Defence of the Republic of Bulgaria, and COL Orlin Nikolov, PhD, Director of the CMDR COE. In their remarks, they underlined the strategic importance of resilience, interoperability, scientific cooperation, and practical solutions in an increasingly complex security environment.
The first day of the conference set a strong tone for the discussions ahead. Keynote sessions addressed NATO’s role in civil emergency response, Ukraine’s operational experience in organising forest fire suppression in a hybrid warfare environment, and practical support for Ukraine’s State Emergency Service in achieving NATO interoperability. Further discussions focused on standards-based living digital twins for defence and intelligence systems, risk intelligence, integrated wildfire risk management, contaminated land fire management, and the role of advanced research infrastructure in environmental risk analysis.
Today’s programme continues with expert panels dedicated to high-performance computing, modelling and simulation, artificial intelligence, climate change and security implications, disaster medicine, air pollution and health, water resources and flooding, wildfire resilience, business continuity management, natural and human-induced hazards, and risk assessment.
By bringing together scientific expertise, operational experience, and institutional perspectives, the conference reaffirms the role of the CMDR COE as a hub for knowledge exchange, innovation, and practical cooperation in support of NATO, Allies, partners, and the broader resilience community.
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Second Prize: Damyan Tonchev, 9-year old
Third Prize: Nikol Marinova, 10-year old
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Quality Assurance Reaccreditation VisitQuality Assurance Team of Experts from the NATO Allied Command of Transformation carried out 2-day inspection on Quality Assurance standards.
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