This protocol, which amounts to 300 thousand euros per year, is the only guaranteed source of funding for CIVISA; without it, reinforcing the investment in the modernization of the seismovolcanic surveillance network in the Azores, which works 24/7, will be impossible. 

It is necessary, for example, to invest in the Azores seismic network stations, where equipment from the 1980s is still in use and which needs to be replaced by more up-to-date technology.

But it is also necessary to reinforce the network of GNSS stations (connected to the satellite) for monitoring crustal deformation; at the moment, there are only a few stations, which do not efficiently cover all active volcanic systems in the Azores.

In addition, there is a need to strengthen the gas geochemistry network with more permanent stations in some active volcanic systems.

CIVISA and the Azorean Civil Protection recently renewed this financing protocol for only one year, in contrast to the traditional three years, which can be regarded as a signal from the Regional Government to open the door to a new financing regime from 2023. Currently, CIVISA permanently surveils 18 active volcanic systems on land and 50 active seismogenic zones in the Azores. It should be noted that CIVISA, created in 2008, has both the Regional Government and the University of the Azores as associates.

Speaking to Açoriano Oriental, the president of CIVISA's board of directors, Rui Marques, states that "at this moment, our funding comes from three sources: the provision of services to public and private entities; research projects under European funding programs and the Protocol with the Azorean Civil Protection".

However, as Rui Marques highlights, "service provision and research projects do not assure us regular funding, which means we are not able to plan monitoring networks in the medium/long term. The same is true for human resources: sometimes there are research projects and service provisions that allow us to hire specialized human resources, but, without being able to assume long-term contracts or the tenure of researchers, we end up losing those specialized resources whenever services or research projects come to an end".

Therefore, for the president of CIVISA, it would be important "to enjoy financial stability, which would allow us to expand our team in a sustainable manner", but this can only be achieved with a more comprehensive financing protocol with the Civil Protection.

Rui Marques also recalled that "much of the investment made in the last four years in CIVISA's monitoring networks was reimbursed in 85% through European projects. CIVISA's own funding amounted to 15%. Therefore, the improvement in monitoring networks was not included in the protocol with Civil Protection".

Finally, the president of CIVISA's board stresses the importance of the work done by Azorean researchers in the Canary Islands, near the Cumbre Vieja volcano: "It is one thing to work in scenarios and another to work on a real-life eruption: this has allowed us to identify failures in monitoring capacity during an eruption, in particular in the ability to monitor gases in eruptive plumes (e.g. Sulphur Dioxide)".