We conduct research into the development of methods to strengthen society's preparedness, emergency, and contingency planning in relation to a broad variety of hazards. This applies to preparedness at home as well as abroad. 

What are we researching? 

We conduct research in operational risk management, i.e., tasks that focus on organisation and coordination, both to prevent incidents from happening, but also to strengthen efforts if they occur. Societies are vulnerable when accidents occur, irrespective of whether they are quickly over, protracted, or complex. Citizens must be taken care of, but also buildings, infrastructure, and other assets require extra attention, while the operation of everyday tasks must continue as normal as possible.  

The threat landscape is constantly evolving – both in Denmark and globally – and the classic solutions and methods to avoid incidents from occurring or minimize damage when they do are not always sufficient. We are therefore concerned with connecting actors, stakeholders, and organisations in new ways; linking knowledge about organisation and management with new technological solutions; and challenging traditional thinking within the field to optimise the performance of tasks.  

There is currently extensive development of digital solutions, the development of technology is however not sufficient, and the solutions must therefore interact with the existing organisation and resources. Integration with existing systems is key, although this sometimes requires sharp priorities. In addition, new technologies must be perceived as relevant to the authorities, organisations or citizens who are supposed to use them. 

There are two main areas in which we conduct research: 

• Stronger link between citizens, organisations, and emergency services – the purpose is to draw on citizens' and organisations' many competences, as well as their commitment and need for prioritation. This is partly to ensure a robust society that can withstand crises and prevent breakdowns in critical infrastructure, but not least to strengthen the joint co-creation for as safe and secure a society as possible.
• Handling complex emergency and risk management operations – this requires continuous development of new methods to replace earlier times’ approaches to both prevention of and response to incidents that happen frequently and those that are more infrequent. There is a need to demand operations and solutions at a high professional and scientifically based level. Knowledge about these solutions must be disseminated in organisations with emergency response responsibility through ongoing training, practice, and education.

How do we do research? 

We explore new opportunities for collaboration; identify resources that are not already considered and develop methods that support existing systems. 

In most research projects, we involve relevant organisations, affected citizens and stakeholders. We invite them to formulate their views on solutions, build bridges between those involved and to co-create new solutions. 

Dissemination, exploitation and communication concerning results and solutions are of high priority, and targeted to both the public, to professional groups, citizens, and media. Thus, we set the agenda for what new solutions in a normally very traditional field can look like. 

Current projects

ARCHAIC: Sustainable and Resilient Communities in Remote Settlements in the Arctic in the Age of Climate Change (ARCHAIC) aims to create new knowledge about climate adaptation and disaster management in remote Arctic communities. The project spans three years and involves researchers from Denmark, Norway, and Iceland, with support from NordForsk.

Learning in Emergency Responce: Learning from response situations is central in developing organizational capacity as well as skills of emergency personnel to handle the increasingly complex crises and disasters of today. Together with local fire- and rescue organisations the project develops and tests new approaches, with the aim of enhancing learning and inter-organizational knowledge sharing. The three-year project is supported by The A.P. Møller Relief Foundation.

Food security and early warning: The project investigates how the climate crisis affects the lifestyle of pastoralists and increases vulnerability in Ethiopia. The project focuses on context-sensitive solutions and on how pastoralists, NGOs, and authorities can work together on prevention. The project is supported by the Jameel Observatory.

Contact 

Program manager Nina Blom Andersen 
[email protected]
Tlf: +45 23 73 33 83 

Find the other researchers associated with the research environment below.