Companies and public institutions together to address the challenges of integrated rural fire management
07th February 2020
Next Monday, February 10, UTAD will welcome the workshop “Science with impact – Integrated Rural Fire Management”. The event will take place after the period of public discussion of the National Plan for the Integrated Rural Fire Management and the presentation of the FCT ForestWISE R&D&I and the Agri-Food, Forestry and Biodiversity Research and Innovation Agendas, as well the results of the workshop “Rural Fire: better scientific evidence-based management” – which took place at IPMA (Lisbon), on November 27 2019.
The initiative - which will be attended by the Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor (MCTES) - “aims to promote a more effective participation of companies and entities from the forestry sector in the discussion on how science made in Portugal could address the greatest challenges in the country, namely regarding the integrated forest and rural fire management”, says Carlos Fonseca, CTO of ForestWISE and professor at the University of Aveiro, who will also take office that day.
“Since knowledge production benefits from synergies between multiple scientific fields, while providing solutions to actual problems, there is an urgent need to strengthen the dialogue channels between communities of knowledge producers and consumers – which, according to a demand-driven perspective - enable the identification of R&D&I opportunities that address said problems. This is the primary objective of the meeting, where the knowledge needs for the Implementation of the National Plan for the Integrated Rural Fire Management and the ForestWISE R&D&I Agenda will be presented”, adds the ForestWISE CTO.
The session targets the scientific, business and institutional community, but is also open to all interested parties. It will be useful to answer the researchers’ questions about applications for projects in the Forest Fire Prevention and Fighting field, in compliance with the notice opened by FCT. The participation is free of charge, but requires prior registration.
This event also marks the effective launch of ForestWISE - Collaborative Laboratory (CoLab) for Integrated Forest and Fire Management, with the hiring of the first senior researchers and project managers.
The “Science with impact - Integrated Rural Fire Management” meeting (2PM) is organised by ForestWISE, FCT and the Agency for Integrated Rural Fire Management (AGIF). The event also features a presentation by José Miguel Cardoso Pereira from the Forest Research Centre (ISA Lisbon), entitled “Rural Fire - a Pervasive Problem that Requires Translational Research and Adaptive Management” and a panel discussion on “Rural Fire: better scientific evidence-based management”. Helena Pereira, FCT President, Tiago Oliveira, President of the AGIF Steering Board and Manuel Heitor, MCTES, will be responsible for the opening session. José Manuel Mendonça, President of ForestWISE Board of Directors, Chairman of the Board and CEO of INESC TEC and Full Professor at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, and António Fontaínhas Fernandes, Dean of UTAD, will be in charge of the closing session. Click here for the programme.
___________________________________________________________
Note on the event’s organisation
The Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) was responsible for promoting the research on forest fires - according to a multidisciplinary perspective - through the funding of R&D projects and the support provided during the earliest stages of the Collaborative Laboratory (CoLAB) ForestWISE.
The Agency for the Integrated Rural Fire Management (AGIF) was established to coordinate the strategic, integrated and transversal implementation of the Integrated Fire Management System (SGIFR), as well as the system’s assessment and institutional liaison. More information at https://www.agif.pt/pt
ForestWISE aims to promote research, innovation and knowledge/technology exchange activities, in order to boost the sustainable forest management and the competitiveness of the forest sector, while reducing the negative consequences of rural fires. More information at www.forestwise.pt.
For further inquiries:
Eunice Oliveira
Communication Service
INESC TEC
FEUP Campus
Rua Dr Roberto Frias
4200-465 Porto
Portugal
P +351 22 209 4297
M +351 934 224 331
eunice.i.oliveira@inesctec.pt