Project Launch Announcement: “Rapid Earthquake Damage Assessment Expended” (Acronym: REDA_NEXt)
This is a significant international initiative aimed at enhancing disaster preparedness and response across the Black Sea region, with a particular focus on rapid damage assessment following seismic events.
Funding and Partnerships
The REDA_NEXt project (BSB942) is co-funded by the European Union (EU) through the INTERREG NEXT Black Sea Basin Programme. This support underlines the EU’s commitment to strengthening regional cooperation, sustainable development, and improved civil protection strategies in this vital cross-border area.
Project Budget: €499,511.03, of which €449,559.92 are European (Interreg) funds.
The project partners are:
- the International Hellenic University as Lead Partner,
- the Istanbul Technical University (Turkey),
- the Democritus University of Thrace (Greece), and
- the Ovidius University of Constanța (Romania).
Project Objectives
The primary objective of REDA_NEXt is the development and implementation of advanced, standardised methodologies and tools for rapid and accurate earthquake damage assessment. The key objectives include:
- Development and upgrade of an advanced digital platform for real-time post-earthquake data collection and analysis.
- Standardisation of damage assessment protocols to ensure consistency and speed across participating regions.
- Delivery of training and capacity-building activities for relevant government authorities and civil protection services.
- Strengthening the cross-border cooperation framework for disaster response among Black Sea Basin partners.
Duration and Impact
The project is expected to last 18 months.
The outcomes of REDA_NEXt are expected to lead to:
- Significantly reduced response times following major earthquakes.
- More effective allocation of emergency resources.
- Improved safety and resilience for communities across the Black Sea region.
Further information and updates are available on the REDA_NEXt project website and the official channels of the INTERREG NEXT Black Sea Basin Programme.