2nd Call of Forest Fire Research selected 18 projects

The State Research Support Foundation (FCT) released this week the results of the evaluation of the 2nd Call for Scientific Research and Technological Development Projects within the scope of Prevention and Fighting of Forest Fires – 2018 , and 18 research projects were recommended for funding. In total, the Call reflects an investment of almost 5 million euros, over three years, to carry out the selected projects.

This Call annual, which will have a third edition at the end of this year, resulted from the Council of Ministers Resolution No. 159/2017 , of October 30, in which the creation of an R&D Program for the prevention and combat of forest fires was determined, with a financial envelope of 15 million euros for research projects selected within the scope of three Calls annual, to be carried out by the FCT between 2017 and 2019. The objective of this program is to reinforce R&D activities aimed at encouraging and strengthening scientific and technological skills and capabilities in the prevention and fighting of forest fires, as well as ensuring the appropriation and incorporation of scientific knowledge in decision support in operational systems and facilitating the production of new knowledge aimed at solving specific problems.

The 18 projects proposed for funding in the latter Call , which received a total of 103 applications, are distributed across the following areas: Attitudes and behaviors in relation to fire prevention and fighting and land management, including its collaborative aspect (3 projects); Fire management and extreme fire behavior (1 project); Management and valorization of biomass in rural areas (3 projects); Planning models and preventive forestry (1 project); Meteorology, forecasting and risk management, including ignition detection and early fin optimization and development of smart observation systems (2 projects); Post-fire restoration and forest management, at different temporal and spatial scales (1 project); Emergency sensing, information and communications systems and their integration into decision-making processes (2 projects); and Occupational health and safety of combat technicians (5 projects).