The FIRE-RES Open Innovation Challenge is addressed to all experts, researchers, technicians and entrepreneurs with innovative ideas that respond to the challenges faced by the demonstration regions.
CoLAB ForestWISE, INESC TEC and the European Forest Institute (EFI), partners of the FIRE-RES consortium, have launched the Open Innovation Challenge, a program that aims to create solutions to mitigate the consequences of extreme rural fires in Europe, making landscapes more resilient and communities safer, by 2030. Addressing the main challenges faced in the phases of integrated fire management (prevention and preparedness, response and suppression, and recovery from extreme rural fires), this program provides funding of up to €5.000 for demonstrations and a maximum of €16.000 for pilot testing of each innovative project selected. The challenge also provides consulting, particularly in conducting viability tests of the solutions in realistic contexts and the consequent mediation of contacts in the field.
The solutions presented must consider the current context of each region in Europe and Chile, i.e. the FIRE-RES intervention zones, and the challenges identified by the ten Living Labs, innovation ecosystems dedicated to demonstrating and implementing innovative actions. In Portugal, there are two demonstration areas, one in Vale do Sousa and the other in Serra da Lousã, with CoLAB ForestWISE co-leading the latter.
The FIRE-RES Open Innovation Challenge (more information here), which runs until November 19, is aimed at all specialists, researchers, technicians and entrepreneurs, and challenges participants to create technological, social or business solutions, at all stages of development, for the problems faced by Living Laboratories subject to extreme rural fire risks. Risk Communication and Awareness, Community Involvement and Empowerment, Stakeholder Training and Education, Extreme Forest Fire Response and Management, Surveillance and Early Warning, Forecasting and Decision Support, and Policy and Governance are some of the areas covered by the challenges identified by the Living Labs.
