Honorary distinction was received by the postdoctoral researcher of the KIOS Research and Innovation Centre of Excellence of the University of Cyprus Dr. Panagiotis Kolios for his valuable contribution to the successful implementation of the Assessment Mission Course of the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations. The award was given by the Commissioner for Volunteerism and Non-Governmental Organizations of Cyprus Mr. Yiannakis Giannakis at a special ceremony.
The "Assessment Mission Course" program is carried out 5 times a year and involves 20 experts from EU member states. During the Program, an introduction is made to use the Non-Manned Aircraft as a tool for dealing with and managing a disaster.
Dr. Kolios has extensive experience in the use of Non-Manned Aircraft and is considered to be a leading expert in applications in cases of emergency natural disaster management. It has also held a series of training seminars at national, European and international level, always receiving remarkable feedback.
He also contributed significantly to the successful organization of the first training seminar on the use of Unmanned Aviation for Emergency Management co-organized by the Center of Excellence for Research and Innovation "Kios" and the Cyprus Civil Defence Force. A total of 17 firefighters, police officers and emergency trainers from 11 European countries participated in the four-day seminar.
In the framework of the research activities of the Kios Excellence Center for Emergency Management, Dr. Kolios also undertook the preparation of proposals for funding for the development of innovative applications for the use of Non-Manned Aircraft in emergency situations.
It is worth noting that these technologies and related training have now been integrated into the actions of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism Emergency Response Coordination Center through DG ECHO LEAPFROG, which aims at the integration and use of Unmanned Aircraft in emergency situations in the Member States of the European Union.