The CARMA project participated in the European Civil Protection Forum 2026 (ECPF), held on 3–4 November in Brussels under the theme “Preparing today, ready for tomorrow.” Bringing together civil protection authorities, first responders, researchers, policymakers and industry representatives, the Forum provided an important opportunity to exchange knowledge, showcase innovative solutions and strengthen European cooperation in disaster preparedness and response.
Throughout the two-day event, CARMA was represented at Booth 35 alongside CS GROUP, where visitors had the opportunity to discover the project’s approach to human-robot collaboration, as well as CARMA’s C2, CRIMSON, CS GROUP’s command and control solution designed to support situational awareness, operational coordination and crisis management.
Bringing Rescue Robotics Closer to Real-World Operations
Beyond its presence at the exhibition, CARMA contributed to the panel session “Innovations for Crisis Management: Bringing Drones and Ground Robots into Action,” held on 4 November.
Represented by Eva Leroux (CS GROUP), CARMA joined experts from the European projects COLLARIS2, HURRICANE and TRIFFID to discuss a key challenge in rescue robotics: how to move from promising technological developments to reliable solutions that can be effectively integrated into real emergency response operations.
The discussion highlighted several essential priorities, including interoperability, practical training, integration into existing command structures, clear regulatory frameworks and stronger collaboration between researchers, technology developers and end users.
These challenges are closely aligned with CARMA’s mission to advance human-robot collaboration and facilitate the operational adoption of robotic technologies in crisis management.
Strengthening Collaboration for the Future of Civil Protection
The Forum offered a valuable opportunity to engage with the European civil protection community, exchange experiences with fellow EU-funded projects and explore shared challenges and opportunities.
CARMA’s participation reinforced the importance of bridging the gap between research and operational needs, ensuring that technological innovation translates into practical, reliable and effective support for first responders.
We thank the organisers, fellow projects and all participants for the insightful discussions and exchanges throughout the event.