2nd Call Research on Forest Fires selected 18 projects

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

This 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 the prevention and fighting of forest fires, with a financial envelope of €15 million for research projects selected under three Calls , to be carried out by the FCT between 2017 and 2019. The aim of this program is to strengthen R&D activities designed to encourage and strengthen scientific and technological skills and capabilities in the prevention and fighting of forest fires, as well as to ensure the appropriation and incorporation of scientific knowledge in support of decision-making in operational systems and to facilitate the production of new knowledge geared towards solving specific problems.

The 18 projects proposed for funding in this latest Call, which received a total of 103 applications, are distributed across the following areas: Attitudes and behaviors towards 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); Land use planning and preventive forestry models (1 project); Meteorology, forecasting, and risk management, including ignition detection and optimization of early warning systems and development of intelligent observation systems (2 projects); Post-fire restoration and forest management, at different temporal and spatial scales (1 project); Sensor, information, and emergency communication systems and their integration into decision-making processes (2 projects); and Occupational health and safety of firefighting technicians (5 projects).