The SYNERGIES project successfully held its third Evaluation Workshop in Qawra, Malta, on June 17th and 18th, 2025. This event convened 30 local stakeholders from key public, emergency services, and civil society organizations to assess five key project results. The focus was adjusted to address local needs, emphasizing communication gaps and the insufficient involvement of volunteers.
Key Results Evaluated
The workshop evaluated the applicability of the following SYNERGIES results in the context of the Malta Preparedness Case scenario:
- Tool for Preparedness Assessment
- Knowledge Base for Innovative Channels and Communication (KB4ICC)
- Tool for Early Warning Messaging
- Support System for Integrating Spontaneous Volunteers
- Tabletop Game
Stakeholder Feedback Highlights
The overall feedback was positive, recognising the value and applicability of the SYNERGIES tools.
Communication and Early Warning
The Tool for Early Warning Messaging was highly appreciated for its clarity and workflow, with a high score of 3.8/5 for Usefulness and Transferability. Participants emphasized the critical role of a multi-channel strategy (mobile app, social media, radio, TV) and the necessity of redundancy (sirens, loudspeakers) for infrastructure resilience. A key strength highlighted was the tool’s multilingual capability and inclusive design for vulnerable populations, migrants, and tourists.
Knowledge and Community Engagement
The KB4ICC was seen as a valuable centralised repository, scoring well in Usability (3.4) and Transferability (3.6). However, participants stressed the need for stronger localization with Malta-specific content, official national sources, and continuous updating.
The Support System and Tabletop Game were praised for their strong perceived Transferability (3.9) and Usefulness (3.8). The serious game format was confirmed as an effective mechanism for engaging participants in discussions about integrating spontaneous volunteers.
Next Steps
While stakeholders were largely willing to recommend the tools, their readiness to invest resources was slightly lower, suggesting a need for clearer articulation of implementation benefits and support.
The insights gathered will directly inform the refinement of the SYNERGIES results, ensuring they evolve into robust, user-aligned tools that strengthen crisis communication and preparedness in Malta and across Europe.
