Community Research Forum
Pharos Forum
Energy Resilience & Shared Prosperity
Bridging research, community, and policy in Eastern Macedonia & Thrace — a recurring annual forum anchored in Alexandroupolis.
Mission
Why the Pharos Forum?
Eastern Macedonia & Thrace faces a rare convergence of opportunity and challenge: a major new LNG terminal, shifting energy markets, wildfire pressure, and a young population weighing its future. The Pharos Forum translates ongoing VGC research into shared knowledge — providing policymakers, businesses, and residents with a trusted annual evidence base.
Flagship Initiative
Thrace Resilience & Prosperity Observatory
A living data platform publishing 15–20 annual indicators across four domains, culminating in an annual "State of the Region" report co-authored by DUTh and UConn researchers.
How It Works
Annual Research Cycle
Winter / Spring
Co-design
Researchers, municipal officers, and civil society jointly define indicators and data needs for the coming year.
Spring / Summer
Data Collection
Field campaigns, remote sensing, and surveys across Eastern Thrace and the VGC corridor.
Summer / Autumn
Joint Interpretation
Working groups review findings and draft the annual State of the Region report.
Each Autumn
Pharos Forum
Annual public forum each autumn — findings presented, debated, and published openly in Alexandroupolis.
Research Agenda
Thematic Projects
Environmental Baseline & Community Exposure Assessment
Mobile air monitoring with CH₄ sensors, BTEX profiling near the port perimeter and residential zones, and a community health intake survey.
Energy Systems & Corridor Dependency Mapping
A GIS-based dependency map quantifying how households, businesses, and public infrastructure connect to the VGC supply chain.
Wildfire Risk Mapping & Fire History Assessment
30-year Landsat fire-scar time series for the Evros and Rhodope mountain fronts, combined with local fire brigade records.
Citizen Science Air & Water Quality Network
A network of community-operated low-cost sensors tracking real-time air and water quality across the Alexandroupolis urban area.
Comparative Ports & LNG Terminal Impact Study
Comparative analysis of three European LNG port transitions, benchmarking Alexandroupolis against best-practice economic and environmental outcomes.
Regional Skills, Education & Youth Pipeline
Survey of youth employment aspirations and skills gaps, with a proposed curriculum pathway linking DUTh engineering programs to VGC-sector employers.
Marine & Coastal Biodiversity Survey — Northern Aegean
Systematic underwater transects and acoustic monitoring along the Thracian Sea coast, establishing a marine baseline linked to port expansion activities.
Integrated Energy-Landscape-Community Planning Framework
A spatially explicit planning framework integrating energy infrastructure, wildfire risk, and community vulnerability into a single regional decision-support tool.
Expected Outcomes
What the Forum Will Achieve
A trusted, regularly updated evidence base on regional resilience
Stronger links between researchers, institutions, and communities
Joint UConn-DUTh publications and policy briefs
A recurring, self-sustaining annual forum in Alexandroupolis
Initiated by
A DUTh-led initiative in partnership with the University of Connecticut, local municipalities, civil society organizations, and regional businesses across Eastern Macedonia & Thrace.