- During his visit to the offices of the Finnova Foundation in Brussels, the bases of the project and its main lines of action were reviewed.
- CILIFO has established itself as a reference for other European projects covering fire prevention.
10/07/2023, Brussels. On Thursday 6 June 2023, the European Interreg Poctep Cilifo project was presented, an initiative that aims to become a permanent centre for the promotion and development of training, awareness, research and cooperation in the fight against forest fires. The presentation was part of the visit to the offices of the Finnova Foundation in Brussels of the winners of the Talent Factory awards, an initiative committed to entrepreneurship in a pedagogical way.
The European Union has witnessed this ambitious project called CILIFO (Centro Ibérico para la Investigación y Lucha contra Incendios Forestales), which aims to fight forest fires in the Iberian region through the use of advanced technologies and inter-institutional collaboration.
In response to the growing threat of forest fires and the devastating impact they have caused in the Iberian Peninsula in recent years, the CILIFO project emerges as a strategic alliance between research institutions, government agencies, universities and private sector companies. This initiative is part of the Spain-Portugal Interreg Cooperation Programme (POCTEP), which reinforces its commitment to cross-border cooperation.
«The CILIFO project was declared a success story in international cooperation in forest management by the governments of Spain and Portugal and a line of action to be further developed in the Common Cross-Border Development Strategy,» said Inés Leralta, member of the Finnova team, during the visit of the Talent Factory award winners to Finnova’s offices in Brussels.
Led by the Regional Government of Andalusia and with a budget of €24.6 million, the largest budget for forest fire prevention and suppression in the European Union, CILIFO is based on four pillars. The first is advanced surveillance and prediction, implemented through drones, satellites and ground sensors that allow remote and continuous monitoring of forest areas. Second, CILIFO promotes research and development of state-of-the-art extinguishing technologies, including techniques based on artificial intelligence and the use of environmentally friendly materials. Third, the project promotes sustainable forest management practices and the restoration of areas affected by past fires. Finally, the initiative carries out training programmes for professionals in the sector and society in general, in order to raise awareness of forest fire prevention and promote a rapid and effective response in case of emergency.
CILIFO positions itself as an example for other European regions facing similar challenges. Through joint efforts and the use of cutting-edge technology, it aims to significantly reduce the incidence and effects of forest fires on the Iberian Peninsula, thus protecting one of Europe’s most valuable natural resources.
For more information on the CILIFO project and its progress, visit the official website: https://cilifo.eu
European Award for Entrepreneurship Promotion
In 2021, the Firefighting Open Innovation Lab-CILIFO (FOIL-CILIFO) accelerator, managed by the Finnova Foundation in the framework of CILIFO, received the international award in category 4: «Supporting the internationalisation of enterprises» of the European Enterprise Promotion Awards (EEPA), granted by the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG Growth).
About Finnova Finnova is the Spanish-Belgian non-profit foundation based in Brussels and Spain, working for the promotion and development of innovation and entrepreneurship in the EU. Finnova’s experience in leading communication and dissemination activities of European projects is combined with a strong proven track record in business creation and entrepreneurship support programmes, such as accelerators, incubators and events, as well as its commitment to training and employability of young people.
