PROJECTS
The FOCAL project, part of the HORIZON-RIA funding framework, is a 36-month endeavor involving 15 partners from the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Belgium, Spain, and Greece.
The primary goal of the FOCAL project is to develop a cutting-edge platform that combines intelligent workflow management with high-performance computing infrastructure, including advanced data management, and connectivity to artificial intelligence (AI) tools. This platform will enable fast and efficient training and validation of AI models while supporting the design of workflows to enhance understanding of local-scale climate change impacts.
The project focuses on two pilot projects: urban planning and forestry. The forestry pilot will be implemented in the Czech Republic with the active involvement of the Plan4All association.
In addition, the FOCAL project will generate new insights into essential Earth system processes by integrating advanced remote sensing technologies with innovative methodologies. By leveraging a diverse range of remote sensing datasets, the FOCAL project will improve climate modeling, deliver more accurate climate predictions and provide a more comprehensive understanding of interactions within Earth systems.
IT4EST launches the first EU Technology Deployment platform for Sustainable Forest Innovation. It is a first-of-a-kind initiative built to tackle two major risks for EU forests: 1) Wildfires and 2) Sanitary (e.g., bark beetle infections).
Both are highly exacerbated by climate change and can be addressed by advanced technologies. To save and grow our “carbon sink” but also new valorization tracks of Forestry Assets, we built IT4EST upon 3 priority pillars which underpin the Forestry value chain and can trigger huge and fast impacts, especially for Less Developed Regions: 1/ Prevention, 2/ Intervention, and 3/ Restoration/valorisation.
Our consortium gathers 14 full partners from 13 European Union regions, including 8 partners from less developed regions. We cover the full forestry management innovation value chain with a main ambition: to cross-fertilize 10 cutting-edge TRL6+ Demonstrators (toward TRL9) and 1 DLT Pilot while creating a pan-EU ecosystem of advanced green technologies for the preservation and valorisation of forests. Leading-edge TRL7-8 tech will be demonstrated across key forestry segments. We will build a fully integrated Interregional Network of 9 “Sustainable Forest Test Beds” across 5 countries (EL, LT, PT, RO, ES).
These sites are Real Forests prepared for IT4EST, fully arranged as physical joint demonstration environment to welcome all necessary sensors and be tested for each solution – including intervention tech (e.g., for fire extinction, etc.). IT4EST will scale breakthrough, sustainable forestry tech from Less Developed Regions.
We will anchor innovation capabilities into the very Forest Test Beds of these Regions, reinforcing their environmental and economic position in an unprecedented way. We aim to save nearly 5.0 million Ha of forest and reduce damage to forest areas by 15% by 2040 (reaching 5.8 Million Ha in 2040 for EU+UK alone).
We will safeguard/create 17,300 direct and indirect jobs by 2040 for a gross added value of €856M.
