The Centre for Research in Information and Communication Technologies (CITIC) of the University of A Coruña is participating in the ATEMPO – Cross-Border Emergency Assistance project, within which the ATEMPO 2025 Multi-Risk Exercise was carried out. This large-scale cross-border drill took place recently in the surroundings of the Caldeirão Dam (Guarda, Portugal) and brought together nearly 200 emergency response personnel from Galicia, Portugal and Castilla y León.

Led by the Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR) and jointly coordinated with the Galician Emergency Agency (AXEGA), the exercise forms part of the European ATEMPO – Cross-Border Emergency Assistance project, funded through the Interreg VI-A Spain–Portugal (POCTEP) 2021–2027 programme.

As a technological partner of the initiative, alongside CITENI, CITIC contributed to the validation and enhancement of advanced emergency management solutions, including AI-based decision-support systems, real-time data processing and analytics technologies, interoperable digital platforms enabling cross-country coordination, and simulation environments for recreating complex risk scenarios.

The drill provided an opportunity to test these tools in a real operational context, characterised by concurrent incidents and the need for seamless coordination among multiple intervention teams.

Throughout the day, five critical scenarios were activated:  the overturning of a bus with multiple casualties, a forest fire triggered by the accident, technical rescue operations in rocky terrain, the search for missing persons, and a vertical rescue operation on a wind turbine.

The complexity of these incidents offered an ideal environment to assess the interoperability of the systems developed and the effectiveness of cross-border communication and coordination channels.

CITIC: applied research supporting emergency management

CITIC’s involvement in ATEMPO aligns with its strategic commitment to applied research and technological transfer aimed at enhancing territorial resilience. For the centre, the exercise represents a unique opportunity to validate innovative proposals under real conditions and to advance technological solutions that contribute to reducing response times, optimising resource deployment, improving risk assessment accuracy, and facilitating cooperation among public authorities and operational teams from different countries.

A strategic project for the Euroregion

ATEMPO has a total investment of €4.8 million, 75% co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and is certified as a project of strategic importance. Seven key entities take part in the initiative: AXEGA (lead partner), Junta de Castilla y León, University of A Coruña (CITIC and CITENI), CIM Alto Minho, CCDR-N, GNR and INEM.

The project is expected to have a direct impact on 570,000 inhabitants across border areas, with the potential to benefit more than 9 million people through specific interventions.