ProtAct-Us consortium meet in Heraklion on September 29–30. The two-day meeting brought together project partners from across Europe for an intensive working session, fostering collaboration and aligning strategies to maximize the project’s impact.
Day 1 of the ProtAct-Us General Assembly was successfully completed, featuring a full agenda of discussions, collaborative sessions, and knowledge exchange among project partners.
📊 Project status update
📋 Discussion about WP2 (Medical and epidemiological Methods)
📏 Standardization workshop
🏛️ Field Trip to HMU campus and LaHeRS Laboratory of Health and Road Safety
🧩 Drama exercise to foster empathy and awareness
🤝 Networking
Day 2 was a highly engaging day that strengthened the technical discussions, fostered collaboration, and brought valuable external perspectives to the project:
⚠️ Risk Management Workshop
🛠️ WP3 Development: Engineering tools & methods
🤝 Joint workshop combining WP3 + WP4 (Countermeasures and Effectiveness), focusing on Road User Groups
📑 Update and discussion about WP5 and WP6
During the second day of the meeting, CIDAUT presented its ongoing research activities within the ProtAct-Us project, focusing on the development of advanced virtual methodologies based on Finite Element Human Body Models (FE-HBMs) to evaluate injuries with the long-term consequences. The research specifically addresses injuries to the head, brain, and thorax of child occupants under side-impact conditions, as well as to pedestrians, considering all relevant user groups, including adult males, females, and children. In addition, attention was given to the characterization of upper extremity injuries, with a particular focus on humerus fractures associated with side collisions.
Finally, a dedicated session was held to discuss joint interests and potential synergies, with particular attention to gender and diversity action needs. The discussion involved Advisory Board Members Prof. Belinda Gabbe (Monash University, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine Melbourne) and Dr. Marco Giustini (Istituto Superiore di Sanità – ISS, Rome).
ProtAct-Us was also present in the EU-Safety 2025 taking place in Heraklion, Greece, on October 1–2. This key international conference brought together experts, researchers, and stakeholders committed to advancing safety, with road safety and long-term consequences being key topics. Project partners delivered four oral presentations highlighting the latest results and ongoing developments within ProtAct-Us. These contributions strengthen the project’s visibility and impact, raising awareness about the long-term consequences of road crashes and bringing our knowledge to a wider audience.
Further information about the project can be found at https://protact-us.eu/