Image by Marilyn Cada from Pixabay
The Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) programme is pleased to announce the inclusion of three new International Centres of Excellence (ICoEs) to the community. Following a rigorous evaluation process, it was found that the three selected host institutes embodied integrated approaches to disaster risk reduction (DRR) that directly contributes to IRDR's mission.
The International Programme Office (IPO) published the call for expressions of interest (EoIs) from qualified institutes to become IRDR ICoEs in August 2025. The deadline for submission was 28 September 2025.
Further to a decision emanating from the 28th meeting of the IRDR Scientific Committee (SC28) held in October 2025, the IPO reviewed all the EoIs received to ensure adherence to the criteria outlined in section 4.2 of the IRDR ICoEs Terms of Reference (ToRs). Additionally, each SC member independently evaluated all applications based on the criteria outlined in section 4.3 of the ToRs.
At the end of the evaluation process the following three host institutes were selected as designated IRDR ICoEs, with specific scientific research foci, namely:
1. Host institute: Department of Economics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
Official IRDR ICoE name: IRDR ICoE on Resilience Economics and Sustainable Risk Transitions
2. Host institute: School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering, Loughborough University, United Kingdom (UK)
Official IRDR ICoE name: IRDR ICoE on Informatics for Multi-Hazard Risk Reduction
3. Host institute: School of Engineering, Newcastle University, UK
Official IRDR ICoE name: IRDR ICoE on Hydroclimatic Disasters and Infrastructure Resilience
IRDR looks forward to the scientific contributions of these three new ICoEs to the overall objective of the programme to mobilise science for the reduction of all types of disaster risk.
ICoEs are established as integral mechanisms to make direct contributions to the IRDR programme’s mission in research and capacity building. The ICoEs will, inter alia, enable regional scientific activities through geographically-focused contributions based on more localised inputs and by being visible centres of research and actions in IRDR.
