The European Innovation Council (EIC) has expanded its support to dual-use technologies, opening new funding opportunities for European start-ups and SMEs developing technologies with both civilian and defence applications. This is particularly relevant for the disaster resilience community. Technologies such as AI, robotics, drones, advanced materials and other critical technologies can have major applications for civil protection and emergency response. Through the EIC Acce

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) has published its latest strategic foresight study, "Strengthening European Union's Future Disaster Resilience", providing a forward-looking vision for strengthening Europe's disaster resilience towards 2040. The report identifies 12 priority operational capabilities and 12 emerging technologies that should guide future European research, innovation and policy investments. Developed through literature reviews, horizon scanning and consultations

The DIREKTION consortium is pleased to announce the publication of its Vision Paper, presenting a long-term vision for strengthening the uptake of innovation in disaster risk management across Europe. Europe faces increasingly frequent and complex disasters while continuing to invest significantly in research and innovation. However, many promising technologies, tools and methodologies struggle to move beyond research projects and become operational capabilities for emergency

The CERIS Disaster Resilience Days 2026, organised by the European Commission, once again brought together researchers, innovators, first responders, civil protection authorities and policymakers to discuss the future of disaster resilience in Europe. DIREKTION played an active role throughout the three-day event, contributing to several sessions dedicated to capability development, innovation uptake and emerging technologies. The DIREKTION partners moderated discussions on C

Across Europe, hundreds of tools, platforms, methodologies and datasets are developed to strengthen disaster resilience. Yet many become difficult to find, maintain or reuse once project funding ends. To help address this challenge, CWA 18390:2026 – Guidelines for Disaster Risk Preparedness Solutions has now been published by CEN. The new guidance provides practical recommendations on how preparedness solutions can be: ✅ better documented ✅ easier to discover and compare ✅ mo

The DIREKTION consortium is proud to present the winners of the 2nd DIREKTION Awards, recognising innovative near-to-deployment solutions addressing key capability gaps in disaster resilience and emergency response. Following a highly competitive evaluation process, 10 solutions were selected among 47 applications received from across Europe. The awarded solutions support firefighters, civil protection authorities, emergency medical services and crisis management organisation

DIREKTION will participate in INTERSCHUTZ 2026 in Hannover (1–6 June 2026), the leading international exhibition dedicated to fire & rescue services, civil protection and disaster management. 📍 Meet us in Hall 26 Stand F03 at the French Pavilion. Throughout the week, the DIREKTION booth will showcase innovative European solutions addressing key responder capability gaps in areas such as: 🛰️ Situational awareness & decision support 🤖 Robotics & remote operations

📢 Save the date – CERIS DRS Days 2026 The upcoming edition of the CERIS Disaster Resilient Societies (DRS) Days will once again bring together researchers, practitioners, policymakers and innovators working to strengthen Europe’s resilience to disasters and crises. For the DIREKTION community, this event represents an important opportunity to: 🔹 exchange on emerging operational needs and capability gaps 🔹 discover innovative solutions and ongoing EU projects 🔹 strengthen

DIREKTION has published a new webpage dedicated to the screening and assessment of solutions addressing emergency responders’ capability gaps. The page presents the structured and practitioner-driven approach developed in the project to assess how current and emerging solutions respond to operational capability gaps and responder needs. It explains the main steps of the methodology: identification of disaster risk solutions solution self-description by providers review by a f

How can robotics support emergency responders operating in dangerous environments such as industrial fires, hazardous incidents, or unstable structures? The recording of the DIREKTION webinar “Robotics for High-Risk Fire and Industrial Operations” is now available. This session explored how robotic systems and remotely operated platforms can support emergency responders operating in dangerous environments such as industrial fires, hazardous incidents, and unstable structures.

How can emergency responders rapidly assess air quality and protect themselves during hazardous incidents involving toxic releases or industrial accidents? DIREKTION hosted a dedicated webinar on advanced air monitoring for hazardous environments, focusing on operational needs, good practices, and innovative solutions supporting emergency response. Air monitoring plays a critical role in protecting responders, supporting situational awareness, and informing decision-makin

How can robotics help emergency responders operate safely in hazardous environments such as large fires, industrial accidents, or structurally unstable areas? On March 27, 2026, the DIREKTION project will host a new webinar dedicated to the use of robotics in high-risk fire and industrial operations. The session will explore how robotic systems can support emergency responders by enabling remote intervention, improving situational awareness, and reducing risks during dangerou

How can emergency responders rapidly assess air quality and protect themselves during hazardous incidents involving toxic releases or industrial accidents? On February 27, 2026, the DIREKTION project will host a dedicated webinar on advanced air monitoring for hazardous environments, focusing on operational needs, good practices, and innovative solutions supporting emergency response. Air monitoring plays a critical role in protecting responders, supporting situational awaren

Public authorities increasingly recognise the value of innovation procurement instruments such as PCP and PPI, yet often face difficulties in identifying and securing the right funding mechanisms. The ECLIPSE project is organising a webinar dedicated specifically to Public Procurers interested in fostering innovative solutions in the public sector. This webinar equips participants with the knowledge to design procurement challenges that foster innovative solutions. 🗓️𝐀𝐠𝐞�

How can emergency responders remain connected when communication networks are disrupted during crises? ​ This DIREKTION webinar explored how resilient communication systems can support coordination, situational awareness, and decision-making in degraded or disrupted environments. The session set the scene with an overview of the European Critical Communication System (EUCCS) initiative, followed by a research-oriented perspective on the current state of the art in resilient c

We are pleased to announce the launch of a dedicated webpage presenting the capability gaps identified by the DIREKTION project across disaster and crisis management. This practitioner-led analysis provides a shared, structured view of where capabilities fall short today and what will be needed in the coming years, based on a robust three-cycle assessment approach: Current capability gaps, grounded in consultation with responder organisations and analysis of operational pract

As part of DIREKTION activities, TRILATERAL is launching a short survey targeting RTOs and industry to obtain high level insights into technologies currently in early development stages (TRL ≤4) that could potentially address the prioritised capability gaps for DRS practitioners in the coming decade. The survey should take no more than a few minutes to complete (only 7 short questions) but will contribute to a better understanding of relevant future technologies that can sup

How can emergency responders remain connected when communication networks are disrupted during crises? Join us for this DIREKTION webinar to explore how resilient and deployable communication systems can support coordination, situational awareness, and decision-making in degraded or denied environments. This session will examine how Europe is preparing for future critical communication needs, from policy and research to concrete operational solutions. The session will br

The DIREKTION project is pleased to announce the launch of the 2nd edition of the DIREKTION Awards, an open call designed to identify, reward and promote near-to-deployment innovative solutions addressing key Disaster Resilient Society (DRS) capability gaps for emergency responders. Building on the success of the first edition, the 2nd DIREKTION Awards place a strong emphasis on accelerating innovation uptake and supporting the transition of validated solutions towards operat

Drones are increasingly used across Europe to support situational awareness, search and rescue, and post-disaster assessment. Yet their deployment in real operations still faces major challenges related to air traffic management, airspace coordination, and regulatory constraints. In this session, experts from emergency services, research, air navigation service providers, and industry explored how drones can support crisis management operations and how air traffic management,