The European project AGEO, led by the Instituto Superior Técnico and supported by the Interreg Atlantic Area program, is a finalist for the Regiostars Awards, in the Green Europe category. AGEO brings together researchers, local communities, and policymakers in a joint strategy to manage geological risks in Atlantic regions. It is the only European cooperation project led by a Portuguese academic institution to reach the finals.

From 2019 to 2023, the project, coordinated by Rui Carrilho Gomes, professor at Técnico and researcher at the Civil Engineering Research and Innovation for Sustainability Institute (CEris), implemented five citizen observatories. This pilot project showed the benefits of empowering local communities to engage in early warning systems for climate-related challenges. The goal is to help protect European citizens from high-impact events and various risk scenarios such as landslides, seismic activity, floods, and coastal erosion — with a particular focus on the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Madeira, the Canary Islands, Brittany (France), and Causeway Coast (Northern Ireland).

The prevention and mitigation actions implemented in Portugal and partner countries included the development of a platform and mobile application to improve interaction between citizens and institutions. These tools allow citizens to report events and receive updates from the agencies managing risk systems. Citizens were also trained to identify signs of natural disasters and assist vulnerable individuals.

The winner in each category — as well as the project receiving the most public votes — will be announced on October 15, during the awards ceremony in Brussels, as part of the European Week of Regions and Cities.

Public voting is open until October 15: https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/projects/regio-stars-awards_en