During its recently held 13th meeting in Qingdao, China, IRDR’s Science Committee (SC) members approved the application from the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR) based at Western University in London, Canada as the IRDR International Centre of Excellence for Disaster Resilient Homes, Buildings and Public Infrastructure (IRDR ICoE-DRHBPI). This new ICoE will work to advance the science foundation for enhancing the resilience of the built environment to damage from hazards including earthquakes, flood and severe weather.

The objectives for the IRDR ICoE-DRHBPI include natural links to three of IRDR’s established project working groups, AIRDR, FORIN and RIA, as well as to the WMO WWRP Working Group on Societal and Economic Research and Applications (WG SERA) on which IRDR is a co-chair. For example, the AIRDR approach to integrated research is essential to the study of resilience of homes, buildings and public infrastructure to loss and damage from hazards. FORIN provides a structure to secure lessons learned from major international disasters. RIA provides processes to assess and enhance the complex processes involved in translating knowledge generation into action by decision-makers. The WG SERA offers the means to assess the cost and benefit of potential risk reduction actions.

The Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR) is the oldest and largest university-based disaster risk reduction research institute in Canada. It is a world-class centre for trans-disciplinary disaster prevention research and communications. ICLR was established by Canada’s property and casualty insurance industry as an independent, not-for-profit research institute affiliated with Western University, London, Canada. Institute staff and research associates are leaders in wind and seismic engineering, atmospheric science, risk perception, hydrology, economics, geography, health sciences, public policy and a number of other disciplines.

To be considered as an IRDR ICoE, interested institutions should prepare an expression of interest, closely adhering to the guidelines in the Terms of Reference for IRDR ICoEs, and submit to the IRDR IPO via email: connect@irdrinternational.org.