Monitoring Europe's critical infrastructure from Fuerteventura
RESIST seeks advanced technological solutions for early‑risk detection and decision‑making during incidents
The European RESIST project is being carried out in the Canary Islands as an initiative aimed at improving the protection, surveillance, and management of Europe’s critical infrastructures. It does so by developing advanced technological solutions for early‑risk detection and incident‑response decision‑making. Funded by the Horizon Europe programme, the project receives close to €5 million from the European Union and has been running since October 2025.
Project overview
- Coordinated by ETRA Investigación y Desarrollo S.A.
- Involves 13 entities from six EU countries, including technology firms, infrastructure operators, authorities, and research centres.
- The Canary Islands Stratoport for HAPS & UAS at the Fuerteventura Technology Park serves as a strategic node for two of the three pilot cases.
RESIST spans 30 months, from 1 October 2025 to 31 March 2028. Several work packages are already underway, covering technical, operational, and strategic activities.
Technical approach
During the project’s lifespan, RESIST will develop a system capable of anticipating, detecting, and evaluating threats—whether natural, accidental, or intentional—that could affect critical infrastructures such as:
- Electrical grids and generation plants
- Industrial facilities
- Distribution networks
The system will fuse multiple technologies and data sources to enhance surveillance, risk analysis, and incident coordination.
HAPS Skydweller platform
A central element is the high‑altitude platform (HAPS) Skydweller, which will operate from the Canary Islands Stratoport. This unmanned, long‑duration aerial system will fly at high altitude for extended periods and is equipped with:
- Optical and infrared sensors
- LiDAR
- AIS (Automatic Identification System) for collision avoidance and vessel tracking
Data collected by Skydweller will be complemented with imagery from the Copernicus satellite constellation, enabling continuous observation of infrastructures and their surroundings. Artificial‑intelligence‑based tools will process the data through data‑fusion, risk‑assessment, and decision‑support algorithms, delivering actionable information to infrastructure managers.
Expected benefits
- Updated emergency plans and validated risk scenarios
- Improved coordination among national administrations and specialized agencies
- Compatibility with existing national and European systems, facilitating cross‑border collaboration
By integrating long‑duration aerial surveillance, satellite data, and AI into a single platform, RESIST aims to provide continuous situational awareness, early warnings, and reliable data for rapid response. Real‑world testing will validate these capabilities on actual infrastructures.
Pilot demonstrations
Three pilot cases will test the technology:
- Canary Islands (Spain) – Red Eléctrica de España will lead advanced