AUTORIDADE NACIONAL DE EMERGENCIA EPROTECAO CIVIL

Their core work

ANEPC is Portugal's national civil protection and emergency management authority, responsible for coordinating disaster prevention, preparedness, and response across the country. In H2020, they contribute operational expertise on wildfire management, disaster risk reduction, and citizen protection — bringing real-world emergency response experience to research consortia. Their involvement spans from cultural aspects of disaster risk management to advanced wildfire simulation and territorial resilience strategies, reflecting their dual mandate of protecting people and landscapes from natural and man-made hazards.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

ANEPC's early H2020 involvement (2015-2018) focused on the social and cultural dimensions of disaster management through CARISMAND, a broad project covering both natural and man-made disasters. By 2021, their focus sharpened decisively toward wildfire-specific challenges — megafires, wildland-urban interface risks, fire simulation, and landscape-level resilience. This shift likely reflects Portugal's devastating wildfire seasons (2017 in particular) which pushed wildfire management to the top of the national agenda.

ANEPC is moving from general disaster preparedness toward specialized wildfire expertise, making them an increasingly focused partner for European wildfire research and climate adaptation projects.

How they like to work

ANEPC operates exclusively as a consortium partner or third party — they have never coordinated an H2020 project, which is typical for a government agency contributing operational expertise rather than leading research. With 94 unique partners across 24 countries from just 3 projects, they participate in large, pan-European consortia. Their value lies in providing real-world operational context and access to Portugal's civil protection infrastructure, rather than driving the research agenda.

Despite only 3 projects, ANEPC has built an extensive network of 94 partners across 24 countries, reflecting the large-scale nature of EU disaster management and wildfire consortia. Their reach spans most of Europe, with no narrow geographic clustering.

What sets them apart

ANEPC brings something most research partners cannot: operational authority over a national civil protection system in one of Europe's most wildfire-affected countries. Portugal's extreme fire seasons give ANEPC direct, lived experience with the very scenarios that research projects model and simulate. For any consortium needing a government end-user to validate wildfire tools, test emergency protocols, or provide real incident data, ANEPC is a credible and experienced partner.

Highlights from their portfolio

• FIRE-RES
  Their largest funded project (EUR 143,809), addressing fire-resilient territories with an integrated approach spanning landscape design, real-time simulation, and bioeconomy.
• FirEUrisk
  Joined as a third party to a major European wildfire risk strategy project, signaling their recognized expertise even when not a formal consortium member.