AGEO Project Coordinated by CERIS Researcher Rui Carrilho Gomes Receives REGIOSTARS 2025 Certificates

The AGEO – Atlantic Geohazard Risk Management project, coordinated by Professor Rui Carrilho Gomes, CERIS researcher and faculty member at Instituto Superior Técnico, has received the REGIOSTARS 2025 certificates from the European Commission, recognising the project's outstanding contribution to regional development and innovation.

The certificates were formally presented during a ceremony hosted by the Agência para o Desenvolvimento e Coesão, IP (AD&C) on 20 May 2026, celebrating the achievements of the Portuguese partners involved in the project.

This recognition follows AGEO's remarkable success at the European Week of Regions and Cities in Brussels, where the project received two REGIOSTARS Awards—the Green Europe Award and the Public Choice Award—highlighting its excellence in addressing societal challenges through innovation and international cooperation.

Funded by the Interreg Atlantic Area Programme, AGEO brought together researchers, public authorities and stakeholders from across the Atlantic region to improve preparedness and resilience to geohazards, including landslides, earthquakes, volcanic activity and coastal hazards.

Under the scientific coordination of Professor Rui Carrilho Gomes, the project developed innovative tools to strengthen risk prevention and public engagement. Among its key outcomes was the creation of a mobile application enabling citizens to report geological events, receive alerts and access educational information on geohazards. AGEO also established five citizen observatories, encouraging local communities to actively participate in monitoring, early warning systems and disaster risk reduction.

The project demonstrated how scientific research, digital innovation and citizen participation can work together to improve resilience and support evidence-based decision-making in the management of natural hazards.

The AGEO consortium was led by Instituto Superior Técnico and brought together an international partnership including the Associação Portuguesa de Geólogos, La Palma Research Centre (LPRC), Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME), Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Geological Survey of Northern Ireland (GSNI), University College Dublin, Cerema, LNEG, Universidad de La Laguna, Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil (LNEC), Universidade da Madeira, and the Lisbon City Council.

CERIS congratulates Professor Rui Carrilho Gomes and all AGEO project partners on this outstanding international recognition, which reflects the impact of collaborative research and reinforces the importance of science and innovation in building safer, more resilient communities.