Overview

EPIC11 strengthens Europe’s collective ability to prevent, prepare for, and respond to serious cross-border health threats. Through a comprehensive training programme, national workshops, and exchange visits, it builds the skills, coordination, and collaboration needed among public health professionals and institutions across EU and EEA countries. The project contributes to a more connected and resilient European public health system by investing in cross-border cooperation and cross-sectoral partnerships.

Background and Rationale

The Emergency Preparedness Integrated Courses under Article 11 (EPIC11) project was established under the EU4Health Programme, managed by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA), on behalf of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE). It responds directly to the EU’s growing need to strengthen prevention, preparedness and response (PPR) capacities for serious cross-border threats to health across EU Member States and EEA countries.

Following the experience of recent health crises such as COVID-19, it became clear that strong systems alone are not enough. People, institutions, and countries must be prepared to work together before, during, and after emergencies. EPIC11 was therefore designed to enhance the skills, collaboration and coordination of public health professionals and emergency planners across Europe through a coherent and practice-oriented training programme.

Project Framework and Implementation

The project is implemented by a consortium led by GFA Consulting Group GmbH (Germany), in partnership with KIT Royal Tropical Institute (Netherlands) and Think Modular (Austria). Together, they are developing and delivering the EU Health Preparedness Training Programme, which supports national authorities to:

• Build knowledge and skills for more resilient management of health crises; and
• Strengthen communication, collaboration and coordination within and between countries.

EPIC11 was carried out under the Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 on serious cross-border threats to health (SCBTH) and focused on providing prevention, preparedness and response (PPR) training on SCBTH in EU Member States and European Economic Area (EEA) countries. The project was devised in response to the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) and Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) call for tenders HaDEA/2022/OP/0017 on ‘EU preparedness: analysis, planning, reporting and training programmes for health specialists’. One of the operational objectives is to strengthen PPR planning with targeted training and knowledge-exchange activities for healthcare and public health staff (Article 11 of the Regulation).   

Training Approach and Added Value

EPIC11 combines scientific rigour with practical learning, offering multi-hazard, cross-sectoral and cross-border training opportunities. The programme complements ongoing initiatives developed and managed by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as, various EU-level projects. The overall project vision is to strengthen PPR capacities for future public health emergencies within and across countries through training and collaboration.

Beyond the structured courses, the project also organised national workshops and exchange visits that allow participants from different countries to share experiences, identify national priorities, and apply learning to their local contexts.

By investing in people, the public health planners, managers, and practitioners who lead Europe’s emergency response, the EPIC11 project contributes to a more connected, capable, and resilient Europe, better prepared to face health threats together.

Results and Reach

Since its launch, the EPIC11 project has made significant progress in strengthening the foundations for a unified and resilient European public health preparedness training system.

In 2023, a comprehensive training needs assessment was carried out with experts from 27 EU Member States and EEA countries, identifying key gaps in prevention, preparedness and response (PPR) capacities. This assessment provided the evidence base to tailor training to real institutional and operational needs.

Building on this, the consortium mapped existing training programmes at both EU and national levels. The resulting inventory, now hosted on the ECDC Learning Portal, offers a central resource to support coordination, avoid duplication, and promote accessibility of high-quality learning opportunities across Europe.

Drawing on these insights, the team developed the EU Health Preparedness Training Programme for Health Specialists, designed to strengthen critical competencies for managing serious cross-border threats to health. The programme includes:

• an introductory e-learning course,
• five advanced face-to-face courses on key thematic areas, such as Policy and Governance; Emergency Operations and Response; Risk Communication and Infodemic Management; and Human Resources for Health Planning and Capacity Building, and
• two expert-level courses focused on simulation exercises to enhance operational readiness.

To ensure practical relevance and continuous improvement, four pilot trainings were implemented in late 2024, followed by twelve full-scale training courses in 2025 across Europe.

Beyond training delivery, EPIC11 has actively fostered collaboration and mutual learning among Member States through national workshops, incubator sessions, and exchange visits, where participants shared experiences, reflected on challenges, and developed joint approaches to strengthen public health preparedness. National Workshops and Exchange Visits provided structured opportunities for national authorities and experts from different sectors and governance levels to discuss preparedness priorities, share practical experiences and reflect on approaches to implementing the EU health security framework.

Each Exchange visit focused on a specific thematic area of strategic relevance, ranging from national preparedness and response planning and public health emergency operations to medical evacuation, civil–military cooperation and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) preparedness. The national workshops brought together a broad range of sectors essential for national PPR efforts, including health authorities, public health institutes, hospitals, laboratories, universities, armed forces and defence, agriculture and environmental agencies, animal health, radiation safety, biosecurity, and CBRN actors. This diversity ensured that the workshops addressed the multisectoral nature of PPR for SCBTH in a comprehensive and coherent manner.

Over the implementation period, the project delivered 12 EU preparedness trainings, eight Exchange Visits and 18 National Workshops and organised several additional knowledge events, engaging more than 1,300 representatives from almost all EU Member States and EEA countries.