GAIN will take a strategic step towards integrating Georgia, one of the Widening countries, into the system of European efforts aimed at ensuring the Europe’s leadership in one of the most transformative technologies of today and tomorrow – Artificial Intelligence (AI). It will be achieved by research profile adjusting and linking the central Georgian ICT research institute - Muskhelishvili Institute of Computational Mathematics (MICM), to the European AI research and innovation community. Two absolutely leading European research organizations (DFKI and INRIA) supported by the high-tech company EXOLAUNCH will support MICM in this endeavour. The Strategic Research and Innovation Programme (SRIP) designed by the partnership will provide the environment for the Georgian colleagues to get involved in the research projects of the European partners addressing a clearly delineated set of AI topics. Jointly, the partners will advance in capacity building and networking within the area of AI Methods and Tools for Human Activities Recognition and Evaluation, which also will contribute to strengthening core competences in such fundamental technologies as e.g. Machine (Deep) Learning. The results of the cooperation presented through the series of scientific publications and events will inform the European AI community about the potential of MICM and trigger new partnerships building, addressing e.g. Horizon Europe. The project will contribute to career development of a cohort of young researchers at MICM through joint supervision and targeted capacity building measures. Innovation and Research Administration and Management capacities of MICM will also be strengthen to allow the Institute to be better connected to the local, regional and European innovation activities. Using their extensive research and innovation networking capacities DFKI and INRIA will introduce MICM to the European AI research community by connecting to such networks as CLAIRE, ELLIS, ADRA, AI NoEs, etc.

Preparedness to hazards, such as extreme weather conditions and flooding, fires, earthquakes, industrial accidents, etc., could help to reduce the impact of such events on livelihoods and communities. Better know-how, practice and response mechanisms, such as disaster preparedness activities can save lives and speed up the recovery of communities. Besides, disaster risk reduction programs of Municipalities and Civil Protection Organisms are expensive and thus some money could be saved. In the framework of this project, we would like to undertake action and get in touch with the local communities, of each partner region, including immigrants-refugees of the area (if there are such in the vicinity), in order to train and prepare them and, if possible, make them able to deal with these emergencies (and, maybe, more). Unfortunately, the full protection from emergencies is technically and economically unfeasible. Thus, the preparation and establishment of a strategic plan for their management is important. We are intended to activate and involve in the training procedure youth organizations, school students, teachers, and teachers’ associations, open care centers for adults, local authorities, a hotspot for refugees, volunteer associations and relevant networks as well as adults (educational personnel, municipality seniors, members of adult organizations, nursing homes as well). We would also like to collaborate with relevant networks from other European, especially the Mediterranean, countries, not only in EU but also in non EU countries, both involved in the project as well as relevant networks and organizations not involved in it. Our project aims to create specific profiles, which will operate together and/or inside Civil Protection organizations and that will be competent for the optimization of the preparedness activities and, further, for dealing with people in the post-disaster phase. Users of these profiles will be trained for working in an international environment (during the project period, through e-learning sessions) so as they could be available not only during emergencies at the national level but also in order to support other teams in the other EU project Countries. Hence, the trained people will have the chance to know each other during the project period and will be able to cooperate in case of emergencies. The actions will be focused on the optimization of the preparedness activities in Civil Protection, in favor to vulnerable social groups in case of emergencies, particularly right after the disaster event, when citizens are often required to live in provisory camps, because of temporary impossibility to stay in their houses (because of flooding, earthquakes, fires, etc.). The final outcome is a compendium, which contains information and other materials produced and collected from all the partners’ countries during the project implementation period as good practices, questionnaires in order to investigate the citizens' awareness on civil security issues, case studies and a survival guide created by all partners in collaboration.The sustainability of the project is the creation of a Network of people and associations in all Europe with the purpose of continuing to exchange ideas and training about civil protection.Also, all partners will continue to organize workshops to attract volunteers to be trained in civil protection.The activities helped people enhance their understanding of civil protection aspects. The immersion in the project helps people to discuss important issues concerning civil protection aspects as we inferred through our analysis (2 surveys). Also, all activities have shown how urgent is the need to set up Human Networks to exchange ideas and knowledge on civil protection.

Between 2007 and 2018, 31% of all requests for assistance, through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, were for the response to forest fires. The forest fires hazard, as well as the extension of the fire season and the frequency and severity of fires, are likely to increase in the Mediterranean region. We can also observe that extreme weather conditions can affect a wider region of the European Union. In 2018, wildfires have heavily affected Greece, Turkey, Italy, Portugal, UK, as well as Latvia, a country in which wildfires have not been a concern in past years. These show the importance and the urgency to seriously invest in the prevention of forest fires.As the partners’ countries have a significant forest fire hazard, VOLinACT project aims to the dissemination of the necessity for forest fire prevention, utilizing the volunteerism of citizens through awareness-raising activities. Recruiting of new volunteers isn’t easy, but it’s not impossible. Our project aims to create specific volunteers’ profiles, who will be collaborating inside Volunteers’ Fire Protection Organizations (existing or going to be created in every country) for the optimization of the preparedness activities and, furthermore, for dealing with people's needs in the post-disaster phase. During the project period, volunteers of these profiles will be trained through e-learning sessions for working in an international environment, so as they could be available, not only during emergencies at the national level but also for supporting volunteers’ teams in other EU countries. We are going to create a website for potential firefighter volunteers, with information on how, why, and what. We will also create groups on social media so that trainees will have the chance to know each other during the project period and for better cooperation in case of an emergency. Also, we will create an innovative mobile application game, as a tool for assessment the volunteers’ competences as well as for self-evaluation.The main activities:- Mapping the skills and the competencies across the partners' organizations in relation to VOLinACT project. A map of skills will assist VOLinACT to find out what the project volunteers know and what they can do, to discover gaps or shortfalls in their knowledge and performance, and to plan and deliver effective learning solutions.- Creation of a VOLinACT toolkit that will be a set of training tools for adult learners keen on boosting their volunteering competences.- An OER platform will host the training modules in an e-book in PDF format. Its innovative content will drive productivity and sustainability for volunteers around the world. The target group will be volunteers who involved in activities during the project, but also volunteers who want to learn more in the field of fire protection.- Early warning the authorities for a fire hazard.- Training volunteers for being able to do logistic support to the firefighters and to the populations in a scenario of an emergency.- Better planning and coordination of response activities, at National and European, contributing to faster, reliable, and more effective EU response to forest fires. - Creation of a network of people and associations around Europe, for the continuation of exchanging ideas and training procedures for volunteers as Firefighters, an activity that enhances the sustainability of the project. The budget has been drafted in a transparent and collaborative way.The VOLinACT project assumes, beyond the volunteers’ training from the partners, the organization of:1) four transnational partner meetings involving representatives from each partner, 2) a three-days Learning Teaching Training Activities (LTTA) in Italy, whose participants will bequeath the gained knowledge to citizens of their country.