The start of the FP7 Security Research project IFREACT was marked with the project kick off meeting held on 16-17 January in Erkrath, Germany, hometown of project partner Bluecher, manufacturer of CBRN protective clothing.

The next three years the IFREACT consortium, led by the French end user SAMU and IB Consultancy, is committed to develop an innovative Personal Protected Equipment (PPE) system, addressing the real protection needs of its typical users, both with regards to the level of protection against Chemical, Biological and Radiological threats, as well as its total capacity.

Within the project IB Consultancy acts as a co-coordinator and will contribute to defining end user requirements by performing a threat analysis and organising a workshop with end users in Prague this spring. Next to that, IB Consultancy will develop a tool that allows end users and procurement staff to select the best PPE system for the mission of the first responder. IB Consultancy will also support CBRNe World as a dissemination partner of the project.

More information on the IFREACT project can be found here.

As a part of the REACT project, IB Consultancy developed and organised a CBRNe Awareness Course at the World Forum in The Hague. The World Forum, The Hague´s leading conference and exhibition venue, is a project partner of the REACT project.

During the course the operational staff of the World Forum was given an introduction to the world of CBRNe. IB Consultancy provided the participants with an understanding of different types of terrorists, methods of terrorism, and the use of CBRNe weapons. More importantly, the programme provided its participants with the skills needed to reduce, prevent, and react properly to possible CBRNe incidents within the World Forum.

The course was taught by Rutger Gaasbeek, expert in the field of CBRNe terrorism, and Wiebe Bijl. For more information about the IB Consultancy CBRNe Awareness Course and our other services and products, feel free to contact us.

The IB Consultancy Team wishes you a happy 2012!

We look forward to working with you again in the New Year and meeting you at one of our events.

The IB Consultancy team

Early in November 2011, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that very low levels of Iodine-131 (I-131) were detected in the atmosphere above at least six EU Member States. Later that same month, the IAEA notified that it had “most probably” identified the Institute of Isotopes in Hungary as the source of the radiation. In a reaction towards this allegation the director admitted a leak was found at the Budapest-based Institute. However, according to him it is “extremely unlikely” that the Institute

For more information on the court proceedings, please find a letter from Stassen and Kemps Advocaten here, which explains the court ruling. Finally, IB Consultancy management and staff, do not wish to spend more time on this nonsense. We have promised our clients, delegates, speakers, delegations from all over the region and all our other friends to organize Asia’s premier CBRNe event: CBRNe Asia 2012. This event will take place on September 3-7 2012 in the Plazaa Athenee in Bangkok, Thailand. With over 40 sponsors, more than 50 speakers, delegations from already 4 countries, 2 days of conference and 2 days of exercise plus a hosted workshop it is truly Asia’s premier CBRNe event, and we look forward to welcoming you to Bangkok!

The European Defence Agency has appointed a consortium of IB Consultancy and the UK based companies Explosive Learning Solutions and QinetiQ to develop a Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) and a roadmap supporting the implementation of the SRA for the Capability Technology Group ESM04 of the EDA. 

The CapTech ESM4 Human Factors Strategic Research Agenda covers both Human Factors and CBRN aspects. The SRA will provide a clear vision which will be shared by governmental and non-governmental members of the CapTech ESM4 group and will serve to define the future requirements for Human Factors research. This by prioritising Human Factors research projects in terms of their urgency and their impact on future defence capability.

The study will deliver a Strategic Research Agenda and roadmap and will be based on objective analysis through the following deliverables. Firstly, the SRA introduces the field of Human Factors by providing an overview of existing civilian and military Human Factors research. Secondly, based on the output of the Human Factors overview and considering current and forecasted military needs, the consortium will identify and prioritise relevant R&T areas to be included in the SRA for Human Factors. Finally, following the development of the SRA for Human Factors, roadmaps for each area of Human Factors application will be developed to describe how the SRA may be implemented.

The project will start in December 2011 and run for 6 months.

The conference program, venue and speakers have not changed, neither has the two day exercise. This week, we had two events, that caused us to move the event. First, as you are probably aware of, Thailand has been hit by extreme floods. The Thai government services and departments that will participate and run the exercise, have been occupied with these flooding’s over the past period. These operational requirements for their emergency staff have seriously interfered with the proper preparation of the exercise. Since both the government of the Kingdom of Thailand and IB Consultancy, are committed to demonstrate to you and to the delegates a top quality exercise, we have decided to move the event to a time when this can be facilitated.

This week, we also concluded that the legal base for the event would be more supportive  later this year based on proceedings received from the Court in The Hague which strengthens the movement of the event to September.  It is for these reasons, that we decided to move the event to the new dates. Any hotel bookings made at the Event Hotels, can be changed at no costs.

In addition to moving the event, we bring some additional news  as well. We are happy to confirm a number of new high level speakers:

• Minister for Interior Mr.Yong’yoot Wichaidit of the Kingdom of Thailand will open CBRNe Asia 2012,
• Matthew Foster, Regional liaison officer for the WMD Directorate, FBI
• Professor Ha Van Nhu – Head of Department of Disaster Management, Hanoi School of Public Health
• Professor Le Trung Hai – Vice Director in Surgery, University Hospital 103, Hanoi

IB Consultancy is proud to partner with the government of Thailand, the European Commission, Interpol and many others to make CBRNe Asia 2012 a success. We look forward to welcoming you in Bangkok!

For more information please visit our events website

European Commission DG Home has commissioned a team of GHK and IB Consultancy to conduct two studies related to the implementation of the EU CBRN Action Plan.

In order to protect EU citizens from CBRN threats the EU adopted in 2009 the CBRN Action Plan. One of the main areas of work of the Action Plan is to prevent the misuse of CBRN materials. In the ‘Stocktaking study on good practices on reporting of suspicious transactions in relation to CBRN materials’, the team of GHK and IB Consultancy in cooperation with Mr. Robert Whalley, aims to contribute to the Action Plan by, firstly, providing an overview of existing regulations and practices in the area of reporting on suspicious transactions in the EU Member States; secondly, by providing an overview used to identify suspicious CBRN transactions and behaviour; and, thirdly, by identifying good practices, both by country and by sector, and to derive lessons learned for both the Member States and the EU. The three above mentioned objectives may be completed with a fourth one: to issue concrete proposals or recommendations for action, concerning mainly the EU level.

Another major goal of the Action Plan is to enhance control over high-risk CBRN materials. Regarding the chemical industry, the majority of EU measures focus on the safety rather than on the security aspect of the threat posed by high-risk chemicals. The ‘Study on the availability of high-risk chemicals to the general public and in particular on the specific risks associated with trade chemicals over the internet’ will therefore aim to address the need to explore the current practices regarding the availability of high-risk chemicals to the general public, in particular trade practices over the internet and on this basis, identify the potential security gaps in the supply chain and make recommendations for improving them.

The main focus of the study’s approach will be to investigate, through collecting and accessing relevant evidence, current practices (particularly trade practices over the internet) concerning the availability of certain high-risk chemicals to the general public and identify potential security gaps in accessing such materials on international-, EU-, and national level and on the level of industry best practices.

The Managing Consultant will be in charge of the expansion of the office by generating new business and successfully lead and manage the Brussels team. This team currently consists of four consultants and two trainees with various cultural, educational and professional backgrounds. The Managing Consultant will build up and strengthen consultancy capabilities within this team and deliver high quality consultancy services. The Managing Consultant has a high level of freedom to define and implement his/her management and business strategies, and reports to the Managing Director on a regular basis.

The main responsibilities for the managing consultant will be to:

• Initiate, lead, manage and win business in tenders (EC and national), in the private market (consultancy services to industry) and in grants
• Successfully manage and deliver projects, often in international consortia on challenging defence and security related topics
• Manage and lead the Brussels team to facilitate its growth and success
• Responsible for the office P&L

The environment

IB Consultancy has an informal and flat organisational structure. We set goals and expect to reach these goals. You should have a proactive attitude, a solid sense of initiative, and inspire and motivate the Brussels team in to order to achieve the maximum. IB Consultancy has been successful in growing from 2 to 24 people in 2 years, and from one to three offices. However, we are still a start-up, and the candidate needs to be an entrepreneur, who has an eye for spotting new business opportunities, and takes ownership and responsibility. This position requires full commitment, a highly developed team spirit and passion.

The ideal candidate

You have a strong commitment and are passionate about working in the defence and security industry. Specifically you:

• Are proficient in English and at least two other European languages
• Demonstrated experience of at least 7 years in the field of business consultancy
• Demonstrated experience in managing mid-size or larger projects for at least 2 years
• Demonstrated experience in an international environment
• Have no criminal record that could result in refusal of a security clearance (Secret level)
• Have a work permit to work in Belgium
• Have strong management skills, being able to structure and organise his own work and that of his team
• Have excellent communication skills, both verbal and written

Preferably, the ideal candidate has/is:

• Professional degree
• Strong international focus and high cultural awareness
• Strong drive to succeed, someone who continuously strives to take what he does to a higher level
• Service oriented, strong sense of responsibility, precise
• Passionate, enthusiastic and infectious in a positive ‘can-do-and-will-do’ mentality

The offer

Remuneration is based on experience and other factors, and includes a significant variable component. You will get a notebook and blackberry for internet, email and calling throughout Europe. We offer an excellent pension scheme, complimentary gym and 30 days of holiday per year (including bank holidays).

Procedure

When you are confident you have what it takes, and you are truly passionate and enthusiastic about this position, we look forward to receiving your complete CV (including relevant activities and picture) and a short motivation letter by email to information@ibconsultancy.eu (mention the vacancy title in the subject field) before December 15th, 2011. Further inquiries can be directed to Managing Director Ilja M. Bonsen, through the general email address or the general phone number.