On 26 January 2026, the AHEAD consortium convened for an internal, in‑person alignment meeting at Maison de la Poste in Brussels to prepare for the stakeholder sessions. Partners presented and discussed the project status, agreed on concrete next steps to finalize data models and implement remaining testbeds in the Information System, and refined stakeholder engagement strategies. One of these steps will be an online Lunchtalk by the different project partners to inform local stakeholders about the project.
The AHEAD consortium held its Mid‑Term Meeting on 27 January 2026 at the same location, bringing together project partners, public authorities, and sectoral experts to discuss the latest developments of the Advanced Disaster Damage and Loss Data Information System. Throughout the afternoon, the team presented preliminary results, including a live demonstration of the AHEAD Information System and insights into harmonized disaster data approaches, followed by stakeholder exchanges on use cases and practical challenges.
The programme featured contributions from leading researchers and practitioners: The project coordinator Scira Menoni introduced the project’s progress, Jacopo Bambini demonstrated the AHEAD IS, and Samuel Roeslin from JRC highlighted the link to the Risk Data Hub. Further presentations on methodology, real-world use cases, and data management challenges set the stage for interactive Q&A session moderated by Ronja Winkhardt-Enz (DKKV) and Alessandra Zanelli (Polimi), where participants provided feedback for future development.
On 28 January 2026, AHEAD and the Horizon Europe project SOTERIA co‑hosted a joint Open Day at La Tricoterie, bringing together experts from disaster risk management, climate adaptation, insurance, and governance. The day began with SOTERIA’s project leadership and continued with thematic sessions on data and risk management, regulatory issues, and behavioural dimensions of climate-related data sharing, featuring speakers from AQUA, SINTEF, MITI, BES, CRA, and DZI.
A dedicated session on the synergies between AHEAD and SOTERIA highlighted opportunities for integrating loss data, risk modelling, and innovative insurance solutions. This was followed by a dynamic World Café, jointly organised by ICA and DKKV, where participants explored key themes such as governance, IT system development, insurance innovation, and the practical use of damage and loss data.
The Open Day concluded with three high‑level panels focusing on integrated insurance solutions, resilience in agriculture, and building a sustainable and climate‑resilient future in Europe. Speakers from SOTERIA, AHEAD, the European Commission, and the insurance sector contributed diverse perspectives on strengthening climate resilience across multiple levels.
Together, the AHEAD Mid‑Term Meeting and the AHEAD–SOTERIA Open Day showcased strong collaboration and cross‑sectoral engagement between disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, reinforcing the shared ambition to advance impact‑based disaster data, enhance climate adaptation strategies, and build a more resilient Europe.
(Image Source: DKKV)