ASSOCIACAO PARA O DESENVOLVIMENTO DA AERODINAMICA INDUSTRIAL

Their core work

ADAI is a Portuguese research center based in Coimbra that applies aerodynamics and fluid dynamics expertise to wildfire behavior, risk assessment, and management strategies. Their core scientific contribution lies in modeling how fire spreads under wind and terrain conditions — a fundamentally aerodynamic problem — and translating that into practical risk frameworks for policy makers and fire management authorities. In H2020, they led the FirEUrisk consortium to build a Europe-wide wildfire risk strategy and contributed to FIRELOGUE's cross-sector dialogue platform for integrated wildfire governance. Their work bridges technical fire science with risk governance, citizen protection, and climate adaptation policy.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Both H2020 projects started in 2021, so a longitudinal trend is hard to establish from timeline alone. However, the keyword shift between the two projects is meaningful: FirEUrisk's vocabulary is grounded in specific fire phenomena — megafires, wildland-urban interface, citizen science, human factors — while FIRELOGUE's framing moves toward systemic risk, integrated management, and cross-sector governance. This suggests ADAI is broadening from technical fire science toward the institutional and policy dimensions of wildfire risk. The trajectory points toward becoming a connector between fire research communities and governance actors, not just a modeling center.

ADAI is moving from technical fire modeling toward multi-actor risk governance frameworks, making them increasingly relevant to civil protection agencies, urban planners, and climate adaptation policy bodies.

How they like to work

ADAI both leads and joins consortia, which signals genuine scientific depth rather than peripheral participation. As coordinator of FirEUrisk — a large RIA with 54 partners across 20 countries — they have demonstrated capacity to manage complex pan-European networks. Their willingness to also participate as a partner in FIRELOGUE suggests pragmatic flexibility: they join efforts where others lead when the topic complements their agenda. Working with them likely means engaging a technically grounded team that can absorb and contribute to large, diverse consortia.

ADAI has built a network of 54 unique partners across 20 countries from just two projects, indicating they operate within large pan-European research consortia rather than tight bilateral partnerships. Their network is geographically broad, consistent with the cross-border nature of wildfire risk management in Europe.

What sets them apart

ADAI occupies a rare intersection: a research center with aerodynamics and fluid dynamics expertise applied specifically to fire behavior science, based in Portugal — a country with firsthand, large-scale experience of devastating wildfires. This combination of technical depth and national context gives them credibility that purely policy-oriented or purely modeling-oriented groups cannot replicate. As coordinator of FirEUrisk, one of Europe's flagship wildfire risk programs, they are a recognized hub for anyone building a consortium in this space.

Highlights from their portfolio

• FirEUrisk
  ADAI's largest project (EUR 590,034) and only coordinator role — a major RIA developing a Europe-wide wildfire risk strategy with 54 partners, placing ADAI at the center of European wildfire research governance.
• FIRELOGUE
  A Coordination and Support Action focused on cross-sector dialogue rather than technical research, showing ADAI's capacity to operate in the policy and stakeholder engagement dimension of wildfire risk beyond pure science.