The ForestWISE R&D&I agenda is oriented towards its applicability in services and by technicians involved in fire prevention and suppression. Regarding the more general context of forestry, it is more oriented towards the enhancement of a vibrant forest-based sector, in articulation with the relevant social and economic actors.
The work on defining the R&D&I agenda began in March 2018 and took place over a year. As a starting point, the following documents were used:
- the Forest Technological Platform’s “Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for 2020”;
- the USA’s “National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy”;
- the “Blueprint for wildland fire science in Canada (2019-2029)“;
- the FCT’s “Research Agenda for Agro-food, Forest and Biodiversity“;
- the CTI’s reports about the Pedrogão fires and the October fires;
- and the Council of Ministers Resolution 159/2017 and no. 157A/2017.
During the agenda development process, throughout several meetings of experts, workshops with stakeholders, and surveys, the R&D&I agenda of ForestWISE ended up being organized in six research themes, structured into 19 sub-themes and operationalized through 62 research topics.
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Due to the innovative nature of ForestWISE composition and research agenda, the CoLAB will contribute to the progress of science in forest management and fire management, being a trigger for innovation, and for the cohesive management of rural fires and forested areas, further contributing for developing successful solutions that also address international concerns about the management of large-scale fire-related catastrophes and natural disasters.