EU security projects on the ground in Türkiye post earthquake

Following the catastrophic 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Türkiye​ and Syria in February 2023, aid from all over Europe was sent on site to assist national authorities and organisations to handle the crisis.

Partners working on EU-funded projects have been active in the context of the earthquake that hit Türkiye ​and Syria, translating the knowledge and experience gained into valuable lessons for enhanced security Research and Innovation (R&I).​

As a result of the disaster, DG HOME Horizon 2020 funded security research projects, led by ​ (Funded by Horizon 2020 - Cluster 3: “Civil security for society" – Disaster Resilient Societies​), conducted search and rescue operations on-site. 

For example, the Hellenic Rescue Team of the CURSOR Horizon 2020 project, the International Search and Rescue Germany of INGENIOUS Horizon 2020 project and the Bulgarian Red Cross of the RESILOC H2020 project offered volunteers, equipment and refuge to the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate. Magen David Adom Israel of H2020 NIGHTINGALE participated in numerous search and rescue missions and managed to rescue 19 people from the debris. In addition, H2020 Search & Rescue & INTREPID projects saw many of their partners (e.g., Servicio de Urgencia Médica de la Comunidad de Madrid, Spanish School Of Rescue And Detection with Dogs, Pompiers de l'urgence internationale) assisting the Turkish emergency teams with First Responders (FRs), rescue dogs, doctors and veterinarians, as well as cameras, geophones, drones and search scanners.

Servicio de Urgencia Médica de la Comunidad de Madrid highlighted that training for the use of tools provided by the S&R project significantly improved effectiveness of the team during the mission. “Success can be attributed to the synergy demonstrated in simulations and practices, as well as the integration of these tools within [their] standard work procedures for such cases" they said.

The above-mentioned projects aim to provide end users with technological solutions and structured knowledge to enable them to reach their maximum potential in the field; either to tackle the incident itself, or its cascading effects (e.g., the floods that occurred on 15 March in two of the earthquake-affected provinces). 

These Horizon 2020 projects deliver assistance where it is needed and are also in line with policy recommendations and action plans, such as the newly published Commission Recommendation on European Union Disaster Resilience Goals.

More information and funding opportunities can be found on the Funding and Tenders Portal. The next opening date for all Cluster 3 Calls (including the Disaster Resilient Society for Europe Destination) is 29 June 2023. Info Days for the cluster are going to be organised on 27-28 June, for more information and tips on how to apply.

For further information, please contact HOME-NOTIFICATIONS-F2ec [dot] europa [dot] eu (HOME-NOTIFICATIONS-F2[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)