ProtAct-Us General Assembly in Heraklion, Greece
The ProtAct-Us consortium gathered in Heraklion, Greece, for its General Assembly and project meeting, hosted by the Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU) on September 29–30, 2025. The two-day meeting combined project progress discussions, interactive workshops, and exchanges with external stakeholders, reinforcing collaboration across all partners.
Day 1 – September 29, 2025 | HMU Premises
The first day opened with a welcome coffee and an introduction by Maria Papadakaki (HMU), followed by the General Assembly session, where partners reviewed the current project status and reporting requirements. The morning continued with a Standardization Workshop which highlighted the importance of aligning project outputs with relevant development and assessment procedures, and standards for engineering aspects on the one hand and medical classification procedures and standard patient treatment procedures on the other hand. In the afternoon, partners enjoyed a guided tour of the HMU campus and the LaHeRS facilities, strengthening ties with the hosting institution and their research. The afternoon continued with activities focused on medical and epidemiological tools for the classification assessment of long-term consequences, including an interactive workshop. After that, the partners worked together in a drama exercise designed to enhance empathy and awareness, a creative approach that engaged participants in exploring new perspectives from the victim’s point of view. The day concluded with an intensive knowledge and procedural exchange on research content and needs with associated partners Rebecca Mitchel from Macquarie University and, Birute Stukiniense, Johan Lund, and Prof Jens Lauritsen from EUPHA.
Day 2 – September 30, 2025 | Cultural Conference Center of Heraklion
The second day took place at the Cultural Conference Center of Heraklion heavily interlinked with the EU-Safety 2025 pre-conference, where discussions turned to risk management and technical developments. The morning started with a Risk Management workshop, followed by presentations on engineering tools and methods. An extended joint session brought together Road User Groups needs and countermeasures, and fostering synergies between technical and behavioural research. In the afternoon, the consortium held a session with Advisory Board members, who contributed valuable external perspectives and feedback to support the project’s direction and impact, as provided by Prof. Belinda Gabbe and Dr. Marco Giustini especially on the Australian experience with collecting data on long term consequences and patient follow up, as well as on the EU-Injury Data Base EU-IDB.
Strengthening Collaboration and Future Outlook
Across the two days, partners engaged in constructive discussions, knowledge exchange, and interactive formats that reinforced the consortium’s interdisciplinary approach. The ProtAct-Us consortium left Heraklion with renewed motivation and a clear roadmap for the next phase of the project.
