CFPs: Standard Protocols for Alert and Forecast Systems in High-Impact Weather & Geological Disasters

Deadline: 20-Nov-24

The European Commission (EC) has issued a call for proposals to develop standardized protocols for implementing alert and impact forecasting systems, as well as transnational emergency management, in high-impact weather/climatic and geological disaster areas.

Scope

• Europe is confronted with increasingly intense and sometimes unexpected consequences of natural disasters ranging from floods and heavy rain events to droughts and large-scale forest fires even in hitherto not affected regions, as well as other geohazards such as volcanic eruptions and landslides. To respond to these emerging challenges an integrated transnational emergency management is needed efficiently linking systems available at the European level such as, for example, the Copernicus Emergency Management Service, with national, regional or local systems. Furthermore, an evaluation of applied disaster risk reduction methods is required, in particular alert and impact forecasting systems, to identify potential for improvement and constant innovation.
• Knowledge transfer (cross-border and cross-sectoral) about natural hazards-related risks and emergency management is essential to increase the resilience of societies. A vital dialogue and exchange of good practice examples among scientific and technical communities, stakeholders, policymakers and local communities is needed. In particular, the level of awareness of EU citizens for local risks can be increased by new approaches to visualise risks, vulnerability and exposure through e.g. impact forecasting data and mapping including satellite data and information. Emergency management plays a crucial role in this regard, taking into account the ongoing urbanization and economic growth, which put a lot of pressure on areas such as floodplains and their ability to absorb and store water.
• Currently, there are no harmonised/standardised European methods for identifying vulnerability and exposure on the basis of which alert and impact forecasting systems are established, allowing this information to be used by civil protection authorities in a timely manner to improve disaster preparedness, communication to local authorities and population, evaluation logistics etc. Recent flash floods in Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg in July 2021 have shown that this lack of protocols hampered the efficient implementation of early warning and preparedness actions prior to the disaster event.
• This topic is part of a coordination initiative between ESA and the EC on Earth System Science. Under the EC-ESA Earth System Science Initiative both institutions aim at coordinating efforts to support complementary collaborative projects, funded on the EC side through Horizon Europe and on the ESA side through the ESA FutureEO programme. Proposals should include a work package, means and resources for coordination with complementary projects funded under the Science for Society element of the ESA FutureEO programme. The projects(s) should establish a close coordination and collaboration with the relevant ESA relevant actions and projects.
• In this context it is important to remind that standardisation should support operations and policymaking to supplement it but should by no means substitute it. While standardisation of technology may be more straightforward, the right balance does especially have to be sought for processes. The action should ensure close synergies with standardisation activities on European and international level.
• This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research/innovation activities.
• In order to achieve the expected outcomes, international cooperation is also encouraged.

Funding Information

• The check will normally be done for the coordinator if the requested grant amount is equal to or greater than EUR 500 000, except for:
  • public bodies (entities established as a public body under national law, including local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations; and
  • cases where the individual requested grant amount is not more than EUR 60 000 (low-value grant).

Expected Outcomes

• Projects’ results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following outcomes:
  • Enhanced links between scientific community and first and second responders promoting user-targeted research and faster transfer of science results into best practices;
  • Enhanced adoption of novel technologies such as advanced Earth Observation capabilities and capabilities such as those from Earth Observation space technologies into prevention and management practices and tools;
  • Improvement of meteorological input (wind, temperature, precipitation, soil humidity) for extremes related to heat and drought (forest fires, heatwave, agricultural damage, low water for hydro power), especially concerning the support of counter activities;
  • Improved methods for cross-border and cross-sectoral knowledge transfer about risk, vulnerability, exposure, and monitoring methods;
  • Development of common technical standards of alert and impact forecasting systems that cope more efficiently with transboundary emergencies and for GIS-based information systems dealing with high-impact weather/climatic and geological disasters management during emergencies;
  • Identification of needs and opportunities for transferring advanced scientific results into enhancement in disaster logistics and responses, including tailor-made education and training programmes for emergency management teams.

Eligible Activities

• Projects must focus exclusively on civil applications and must not:
  • aim at human cloning for reproductive purposes;
  • intend to modify the genetic heritage of human beings which could make such changes heritable (except for research relating to cancer treatment of the gonads, which may be financed);
  • intend to create human embryos solely for the purpose of research, or for the purpose of stem cell procurement, including by means of somatic cell nuclear transfer.
• Projects must, moreover, comply with EU policy interests and priorities (environment, social, security, industrial policy, etc.).
• The following activities are generally eligible for grants under Horizon Europe:
  • Research and innovation actions (RIA) — Activities that aim primarily to establish new knowledge or to explore the feasibility of a new or improved technology, product, process, service or solution. This may include basic and applied research, technology development and integration, testing, demonstration and validation of a small-scale prototype in a laboratory or simulated environment.
  • Innovation actions (IA) — Activities that aim directly to produce plans and arrangements or designs for new, altered or improved products, processes or services. These activities may include prototyping, testing, demonstrating, piloting, large-scale product validation and market replication.
  • Coordination and support actions (CSA) — Activities that contribute to the objectives of Horizon Europe. This excludes research and innovation (R&I) activities, except those carried out under the ‘Widening participation and spreading excellence’ component of the programme (part of ‘Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area’). Also eligible are bottom-up coordination actions which promote cooperation between legal entities from Member States and Associated Countries to strengthen the European Research Area, and which receive no EU co-funding for research activities.
  • Programme co-fund actions (CoFund) — A programme of activities established or implemented by legal entities managing or funding R&I programmes, other than EU funding bodies. Such a programme of activities may support: networking and coordination; research; innovation; pilot actions; innovation and market deployment; training and mobility; awareness raising and communication; and dissemination and exploitation. It may also provide any relevant financial support, such as grants, prizes and procurement, as well as Horizon Europe blended finance or a combination thereof. The actions may be implemented by the beneficiaries directly or by providing financial support to third parties.
  • Innovation and market deployment actions (IMDA) — Activities that embed an innovation action and other activities necessary to deploy an innovation on the market. This includes the scaling-up of companies and Horizon Europe blended finance.
  • Training and mobility actions (TMA) — Activities that aim to improve the skills, knowledge and career prospects of researchers, based on mobility between countries and, if relevant, between sectors or disciplines.
  • Pre-commercial procurement actions (PCP) — Activities that aim to help a transnational buyers’ group to strengthen the public procurement of research, development, validation and, possibly, the first deployment of new solutions that can significantly improve quality and efficiency in areas of public interest, while opening market opportunities for industry and researchers active in Europe. Eligible activities include the preparation, management and follow-up, under the coordination of a lead procurer, of one joint PCP and additional activities to embed the PCP into a wider set of demand-side activities.
  • Public procurement of innovative solutions actions (PPI) — Activities that aim to strengthen the ability of a transnational buyers’ group to deploy innovative solutions early by overcoming the fragmentation of demand for such solutions and sharing the risks and costs of acting as early adopters, while opening market opportunities for industry. Eligible activities include preparing and implementing, under the coordination of a lead procurer, one joint or several coordinated PPI by the buyers’ group and additional activities to embed the PPI into a wider set of demand-side activities.

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:
  • the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
  • the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States: Aruba (NL), Bonaire (NL), Curação (NL), French Polynesia (FR), French Southern and Antarctic Territories (FR), Greenland (DK), New Caledonia (FR), Saba (NL), Saint Barthélemy (FR), Sint Eustatius (NL), Sint Maarten (NL), St. Pierre and Miquelon (FR), Wallis and Futuna Islands (FR).
  • countries associated to Horizon Europe: Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Tunisia, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Kingdom.
• Specific cases: 
  • Affiliated entities — Affiliated entities are eligible for funding if they are established in one of the countries listed above, or in a country identified in the specific call/topic conditions.
  • Associated partners — Entities not eligible for funding (and therefore not able to participate as beneficiaries) may participate as associated partners, unless specified otherwise in the specific call/topic conditions.
  • Coordination and Support Actions – To be eligible to participate as beneficiaries (or affiliated entities) in ‘Coordination and support’ actions, legal entities must be established in a Member State or Associated Country, unless the specific call/topic conditions provide otherwise (in which case the general rules for eligibility for funding apply). Legal entities established in a non-associated third country may, however, participate in ‘Coordination and support’ actions as associated partners, unless this is explicitly excluded by the specific call/topic conditions.
  • EU bodies — Legal entities created under EU law may also be eligible to receive funding, unless their basic act states otherwise.
  • International organisations — International European research organisations are eligible to receive funding. International organisations with headquarters in a Member State or Associated Country are eligible to receive funding for ‘Training and mobility’ actions or when provided for in the specific call/topic conditions. Other international organisations are not eligible to receive funding, unless provided for in the specific call/topic conditions, or if their participation is considered essential for implementing the action by the granting authority.

For more information, visit EC.