RETIME partners gather in Žilina to review progress on Urban Resilience Solutions

Day 1: Site Visits and Local Insights

The meeting began with a warm welcome from the UNIZA team, followed by an opening overview of the RETIME project, presented by Catarina Ferreira da Silva (ISCTE). With the project’s goals and context freshly in mind, participants set off to explore the Žilina pilot site.
The visit included two key locations:

• Straník Social Services Centre, which plays an essential role in the project’s work, serving as the pilot building where the project will co-design technologies with local stakeholders to enhance quality of life and promote the social integration of over 30 local residents with mental and physical disabilities.
• The 112 Coordination Centre, where the group learned about local emergency response capabilities and opportunities for integration with RETIME solutions.

Day 2: Workshops, Roadmaps, and Strategic Planning

The second day opened with coffee and snacks, setting the tone for a full and productive agenda.

The morning began with updates on the pilot site socio-cultural, economic contexts and stakeholder engagement strategy development where representatives from the Technical University of Denmark outlined the status of ongoing and upcoming tasks, followed by an open discussion on challenges and next steps. ICONS then provided an update on the project’s Key Exploitable Results (KERs) library, setting the stage for the solutions-focused workshop.

Led by ICONS, the RETIME Solutions Workshop was a major highlight of the day. Partners worked collaboratively to:

• Discuss the specific solutions planned for deployment across the three pilot sites, focusing on  co-design needs.
• Validate the pilot-specific engagement roadmaps, drawing on insights from previous roadmap definition workshops.
• Define training needs to support local partners, decision-makers and practitioners in the next project phase.

The Workshop sessions explored integration across activities related to cross-scale models (real-life an virtual pilots) and infrastructure resilience plans,  ensuring alignment between technical solutions and local needs, while also identifying synergies solutions being developed across all project pilot sites.  where possible.

Further updates from all other partner activities were shared such as the NBS (Nature-Based Solutions) Knowledge Platform, GeoIKP, developed by project partners at KAJO  as part of efforts to enhance knowledge sharing.

The assembly concluded with closing remarks from Tatiana Kováčiková (UNIZA) and Catarina Ferreira da Silva (ISCTE), reflecting on the progress made and looking ahead to the next steps.

For those who stayed on, the final session featured a visit to the University of Žilina’s Laboratory of Crises Management. Participants experienced demonstrations of VR/AR applications used in training crisis responders, providing valuable inspiration for RETIME’s ongoing work to enhance resilience across pilot regions.

With renewed energy and a clear roadmap in place, RETIME partners leave Žilina ready to continue building on the momentum from this productive meeting. The consortium remains committed to co-developing innovative solutions that strengthen local capacities and contribute to a more resilient Europe.

Stay tuned for more updates as the project moves towards its next milestones!