Dear IFAFRI Community,
What better way to celebrate the end of the year than to look back at the high points of the IFAFRI network in 2023.
It has been an overall successful year for IFAFRI and the IFAFRI Committees. We started 2023 by launching a new IFAFRI website to better present the Network and provide more attractive and accessible information on Capability Gaps. We then held our Annual Meeting in Farnborough at the Security & Policing Event, where we strategically planned our network activities and got to know each other better. In addition to this, the Forum was also able to learn about new and innovative technologies at the fair. Later on, the Stakeholder Engagement Committee organized two virtual technology showcases. One focused on Capability Gap 1: the ability to know the location of responders and their proximity to threats and hazards in real time. The second Virtual Technology Showcase focused on flooding and showcased first responder technologies that help to provide faster and more efficient warnings. Furthermore, the Stakeholder Engagement Committee organized another technology showcase in Athens during the MEDEA IFAFRI Joint Event, where eleven technology providers had the opportunity to present their solutions. Not to forget the Research & Development Committee. They developed a Research & Development Repository, which is online since this year and aims to help share knowledge about ongoing research projects in IFAFRI member countries. The Research & Development Committee also organized a Capability Gap Showcase for academia to present Capability Gap 2, which still needs further research to increase the availability of market-ready solutions in this area. In October, to raise awareness of the Capability Gaps and to encourage more research in these areas, the Research & Development Committee had a booth at the Security Research Event in Brussels.
We wish you a happy end to 2023 and are looking forward to an exciting 2024, while we are already making plans for the annual event in Singapore in April.
