In March 2025, the Rescue Drones Symposium took place as part of the Civil Protect conference in Bolzano – a central platform for innovations in the field of alpine air rescue. Over 80 experts from industry, science and rescue organisations discussed current developments and future prospects for the use of drones in extreme situations.

The focus was on the automation of flight planning and risk assessment, the use of innovative sensor systems and ‘last mile’ transport in rough terrain. As part of the symposium, Dr. Paulus from the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences took part in a panel discussion, representing the SIENA research group.

SIENA contributes its expertise in the field of automated, geodata-based risk assessment for cross-border drone operations in the Alpine region – a central component of the Interreg project START Living Lab. The event strengthened the exchange between the DACHS countries and Italy and made an important contribution to the development of a cross-border drone living lab for mountain rescue of the future.