Extreme heat is an increasing challenge for cities, affecting health, infrastructure and essential services. PROTECT (Policy-Ready Operational Tools for Extreme-heat Cities and Territories) will develop an integrated framework combining climate intelligence, heat-risk assessment, forecasting, early warning systems and innovative cooling solutions to strengthen urban resilience.

The project will develop an integrated framework including an Urban Heat Data Cube, heat-risk mapping, local forecasting, early warning systems and decision-support tools. These resources will help cities identify heat hotspots, assess risks to neighbourhoods and critical facilities, and support timely responses during extreme-heat events.

The PROTECT consortium brings together 34 partners, led by the Centre for Research and Technology – Hellas (CERTH). The consortium brings together 11 research and academic organisations (including IREC), 9 public authorities, 7 small and medium-sized enterprises, 3 large enterprises and utilities, and 4 non-profit organisations and NGOs, fostering cross-sector collaboration to develop and implement innovative solutions for urban heat resilience across Europe. It has received €9.9 million in funding from the European Union under Horizon Europe. The project will run from October 2026 to September 2030.

PROTECT will demonstrate its solutions across 12 areas of intervention in five Front Runner cities: Trikala, Barcelona, Berlin, Torino and Tallinn. Three additional cities — Glasgow, Istanbul and Prague — will explore the potential for replicating these solutions in other urban contexts.

As representatives of IREC in the project, Pol Paradell and José Luis Domínguez from the Power Systems Department at IREC will contribute its expertise in energy research and resilient energy systems, helping address the impacts of extreme heat on urban infrastructure and essential services.

The project will also assess combinations of green, blue and grey solutions to reduce urban heat while considering other factors such as water availability, comfort and equity. Their performance will be monitored in real-world conditions across different European cities.

Link to cordis: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101295901

Acknowledgements: Funded by the European Union (GA No. 101295901). “Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EUROPEAN CLIMATE, INFRASTRUCTURE AND ENVIRONMENT EXECUTIVE AGENCY (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.”