CONCORDIA

CONCORDIA (COoperative Network for COoRdinated Disaster Impact Assessment) is a cross-border cooperation project between Italy and Slovenia, co-funded by the European Union under the Interreg VI-A Italy–Slovenia 2021–2027 Programme. The project brings together research institutes, universities, and civil protection authorities from both countries with the goal of strengthening collaboration and interoperability in the monitoring and rapid assessment of earthquake and landslide impacts.

The Italy–Slovenia border area is one of the most geologically complex and active regions in Central Europe, where seismic and landslide risks coexist and often interact. However, monitoring infrastructures, data systems, and emergency procedures are not yet fully integrated, and this fragmentation can slow down the response during emergencies affecting both countries. CONCORDIA was created to overcome this challenge by promoting a joint, real-time approach to monitoring, data sharing, and impact assessment.

Building on the results of previous cooperation initiatives, such as the ARMONIA and BORIS2 projects, CONCORDIA takes a further step toward full interoperability between observation networks and operational systems, linking seismic, geodetic, and geological monitoring with automated tools for emergency management and damage estimation.

The project aims to enhance the shared ability to observe and interpret natural phenomena, developing tools capable of estimating, almost in real time, the effects of an earthquake or a landslide and providing timely information to civil protection authorities. Alongside its technical goals, CONCORDIA places great emphasis on training and community engagement, ensuring that the knowledge and technologies developed become practical resources to improve safety and resilience across the region.

The partnership includes the University of Trieste (lead partner), the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics – OGS, the Slovenian Environment Agency (ARSO), the Geological Survey of Slovenia (GeoZS), and the University of Udine, with the collaboration of the Civil Protection of Friuli Venezia Giulia, the Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute (ZAG), and the Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief. With a duration of two years, from June 2025 to May 2027, CONCORDIA represents an important step toward a faster, more coordinated, and more effective response to natural disasters, contributing to the creation of safer, more aware, and more resilient cross-border communities.