As the Regional Secretariat for the European Union’s Centres of Excellence Initiative on Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Risk Mitigation, MESIS oversees the development, implementation, and monitoring of the Initiative’s projects across Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon. The Middle East Secretariat is the first to become operational under the Initiative, and is the only one hosted in a non-governmental organization.

The Radiation Detection Training Center was established by MESIS in 2018, and is a joint partnership between MESIS and Jordan’s Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC). The Center is the first facility of its kind in the Middle East, and is uniquely equipped to further the region’s capability to identify and respond to nuclear and radiological threats by offering indigenized, hands-on training in Arabic. The Center hosts a variety of detection equipment including vehicle and pedestrian Radiation Portal Monitors (RPMs) and hand-held detection equipment.

MESIS has developed a number of components required for insider threat mitigation programs, including security awareness courses and awareness-raising signage campaigns. MESIS was the co-developer of Jordan’s first Human Reliability Program (HRP) at the Jordan Research and Training Reactor (JRTR) and serves as a member of the HRP Implementation Committee. The organization has developed numerous regional resources on insider threats, such as a Signage Development Methodology, an HRP Development Guide, and Regional Insider Threat Case Studies.

MESIS-led advocacy efforts for a coordinating mechanism to oversee and harmonize biosecurity related efforts in Jordan culminated in the adoption of legal regulations for the establishment of a National Biosecurity Committee in mid-2019. MESIS serves as a member of the Committee tasked with the ongoing development and oversight of biosecurity initiatives, and identification of inter-sectoral priorities.

MESIS provides the oversight and management for a national project to secure radioactive sources housed at civilian facilities across Jordan. In addition to conducting site assessments for physical protection systems, MESIS develops and implements trainings on security awareness, security culture, regulatory development, and response planning for these facilities.