Athens, Greece | Transnational Project Meeting

The ENG4VOL consortium met in Athens for a two-day Transnational Project Meeting hosted by HRTA. Partners from PUI (France), ESDP (Spain), and MRSZ-KMCS (Hungary) joined to align on the next phase of the project and turn volunteer engagement research into concrete outputs for civil protection organisations.

Day 1: Alignment and a reality check in Agidnes

Day 1 focused on coordination across the consortium. We reviewed where the project stands, confirmed upcoming deadlines, and aligned on how we will organise work and communication as we move into the production phase.

We also visited HRTA’s Afidnes Training Centre (ATC), about 20 km from Athens, a dedicated space built for scenario-based training and readiness work. The site covers around 5 hectares and includes a mix of structures and open areas that support realistic practice. Public descriptions of the centre reference abandoned buildings and auxiliary structures, plus training features such as a debris field for confined-space practice, open-space zones, and infrastructure elements used in simulations (including tunnels and shafts).

Afidnes is also used to host field activities connected to European civil protection and search-and-rescue projects, which reflects how closely training, operations, and innovation intersect in volunteer response today.

Day 2: Shaping outputs

Day 2 focused on delivery. We worked on three areas that will define the next steps of ENG4VOL:

• Research insights: consolidating what we are hearing about engagement, motivation, and retention into clear findings the consortium can use as a basis for recommendations
• Lessons Learnt: structuring and drafting the project’s main output, aimed at providing practical guidance that organisations can apply
• Multiplier events: planning how results will be shared in Greece, France, Spain, and Hungary with volunteers, organisations, and decision-makers

What happens next

Following the Athens TPM, partners will finalise research inputs, draft and review the Lessons Learnt content, and prepare the multiplier events that will bring ENG4VOL results to the field.

ENG4VOL is co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme and delivered by PUI (FR), HRTA (GR), ESDP (ES), and MRSZ-KMCS (HU).