2nd Call for Research on Forest Fires selected 18 projects

This week, the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) released the results of the evaluation of the 2nd Call for Scientific Research and Technological Development Projects in the field of Forest Fire Prevention and Combat - 2018, with 18 research projects recommended for funding. In total, the Call translates into an investment of almost 5 million euros, over three years, for the implementation of the selected projects.

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

The 18 projects proposed for funding in this latest Call for Proposals, which received a total of 103 applications, are divided into the following areas: Attitudes and behavior towards fire prevention, firefighting 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); Management models and preventive forestry (1 project); Meteorology, forecasting and risk management, including ignition detection and early warning optimizations and the development of intelligent observation systems (2 projects); Post-fire restoration and forest management at different temporal and spatial scales (1 project); Sensing, information and emergency communications systems and their integration into decision-making processes (2 projects); and Occupational health and safety of firefighters (5 projects).