Czech national CBRN protection institute specialising in chemical threat detection (SERS sensors) and radiation dosimetry for first responders and civil protection.
SUJCHBO is the Czech Republic's national research institute for CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear) protection, operating under a state mandate to develop and validate protection technologies for both military and civilian contexts. In H2020, they contribute specialist expertise across two distinct tracks: advanced chemical threat detection using Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for field deployment by first responders, and radiation protection science covering dosimetry, exposure risk assessment, and communication of radiation risks to the public and policymakers. Their work connects laboratory science directly to operational use — building sensors that first responders can deploy in the field and generating the scientific evidence base that underpins European radiation protection standards. They bring a national authority perspective that is particularly valuable in security and civil protection consortia requiring credible, policy-relevant research outputs.
In SERSing (2020–2024), SUJCHBO contributes to developing portable Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy sensors for detecting chemical threats in gas and liquid phases for first responder deployment.
In RadoNorm (2020–2025), they work on the scientific evidence base for radiation protection standards, covering dosimetry methods, exposure effects and risks, and societal dimensions.
Keywords across both projects — 'first responders', 'education & training', 'societal aspects' — indicate an applied training and capacity-building role consistent with a national CBRN protection institute.
RadoNorm's keywords include 'societal aspects' and 'communication-dissemination-exploitation', showing growing engagement with how radiation risk is communicated to affected populations and integrated into policy.
Both of SUJCHBO's H2020 projects started in 2020, so a true temporal evolution within the programme is not visible — their chemical detection and radiation protection tracks represent parallel, simultaneous capabilities rather than a sequential shift. The chemical work (SERSing) reflects their classical CBRN protection mandate focused on detection technology, while the radiation protection work (RadoNorm) engages more explicitly with societal dimensions, education, and risk communication. The clearest directional signal is a broadening from purely technical instrumentation toward integrating scientific evidence with social considerations — suggesting the institute is moving from laboratory science toward policy-relevant, public-facing research outputs.
SUJCHBO is expanding from technical CBRN detection toward the policy and communication dimensions of radiation protection, making them increasingly useful in projects that need both scientific rigour and credible public-facing or regulatory outputs.
SUJCHBO participates as a consortium member rather than project coordinator across both H2020 projects, consistent with their role as a national specialist institute contributing domain expertise to larger research networks. With 68 unique partners across 23 countries from just two projects, they operate inside very large international consortia — both SERSing and RadoNorm are broad multi-country RIA initiatives. This suggests they are sought out as a credible national authority in CBRN protection, lending legitimacy and specific technical capabilities rather than driving project direction.
Despite only two H2020 projects, SUJCHBO has connected with 68 unique partners across 23 countries, indicating membership in large and well-networked European security and radiation protection research consortia. Their network almost certainly spans security agencies, national metrology institutes, civil protection bodies, and academic groups across Central and Western Europe.
SUJCHBO is the Czech Republic's only state institute with a dedicated mandate covering nuclear, chemical, and biological protection simultaneously — a rare combination that makes them a natural fit for multi-hazard CBRN projects where breadth of threat coverage matters. Unlike university research groups, they carry national authority status and direct links to civil protection and emergency response infrastructure, which adds credibility in security-sensitive EU projects. For consortium builders, they offer both technical depth (SERS detection, dosimetry) and the institutional standing of a state body accountable for actual national CBRN protection policy.
