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.
News
Successful delivery of the Crisis Response Operations Planners Professional Development CourseAnother beneficial course
» read more
That’s a wrap for 2023!Successful completion of the NATO-approved Gender Focal Point Course online iteration
» read more
Solidifying partnership The CMDR COE Director and the NCGM Commandant reaffirm commitment to cooperation
» read more
Expert Workshop on Gender PerspectivesThe CMDR COE successfully concluded an Expert Workshop on Gender Perspectives
» read more
CMDR COE Extends Crucial Assistance to Jordan′s National ExerciseCMDR COE Collaborates with Jordan in Evaluating Earthquake Preparedness.
» read more
Multinational Crisis Management CourseA course for the Jordanian Public Security Directorate
» read more
Collaboration with an universityAgreement with the University of National and World Economy (UNWE).
» read more
Disaster Risk Management Course for the Jordanian Public Security Directorate11-16 June 2023
» read more
Practice of crisis management proceduresA training session took place on June 7, 2023, at the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs...
» read more
Future cooperation between the CMDR COE and the GATE InstituteOn Tuesday 6th of June 2023, the Director of Big Data for Smart Society Institute (GATE), Prof. Silvia Ilieva...
» read more
Four days of insightful deliberations and exchange among future Gender Focal Points That’s a wrap for the first 2023 iteration of the Gender Focal Point course!
» read more
Cooperation with the Baltic Defence College What is NATO′s crisis management process? How are strategic decisions made?...
» read more
Disaster Response and Consequence Management for a Radiological IncidentA pilot course, 27-28 April 2023
» read more
Autumn 2022 Internship Programme was successfully completedThe CMDR COE Internship Research Paper presentation took place today, April 20th, 2023...
» read more
Football match between the Military Attaché Corps in Bulgaria and the CMDR COEA friendly football match between a team consisting of CMDR COE representatives and...
» read more
Join discussions on transformative approaches to crisis management and disaster responseRegister for the 2023 CMDR COE Annual Conference
» read more
