On 16 July 2026, the newly established International Centre of Excellence on Informatics and Disaster Resilience (IRDR ICoE-IDR) was officially launched at an event organised by the host institute, the School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering at Loughborough University, United Kingdom.
The hybrid launch event, held at Loughborough's International House, brought together leading experts from partner institutions worldwide. Prof. Saini Yang, IRDR's Executive Director, attended the event in person, delivering a welcome address that underscored the Centre's strategic importance within the global IRDR network and its potential to advance integrated, action-oriented disaster research.
Prof. Qiuhua Liang, UNESCO Chair in Informatics and Multi-hazard Risk Reduction at Loughborough and the Director of IRDR ICoE-IDR, presented the Centre's vision, mission, and strategic plan, outlining its ambition to translate cutting-edge informatics research into practical tools for disaster risk reduction and management. In his introductory remarks, Prof Liang noted that the event was "more than the launch of a new research centre" as it marked "the beginning of an international partnership that" will bring "together world-leading expertise to explore how digital technologies can transform disaster risk reduction and help build a safer, more resilient world."
Check out the event page here.
A Multinational Consortium of Leading Partners
IRDR ICoE-IDR is built upon a strong collaborative network of world-class institutions:
UNESCO Chair in Informatics and Multi-hazard Risk Reduction, Loughborough University, UK (Prof. Qiuhua Liang).
Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China (Prof. Peng Cui).
School of Water Conservancy and Transportation, Zhengzhou University, China (Prof. Hongyuan Fang).
Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Japan (Prof. Nobuhito Mori).
Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Netherlands (Prof. Tiziana Rossetto).
Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management, RWTH Aachen University, Germany (Prof. Holger Schüttrumpf).
High-Level Panel Forum on the Post-2030 Agenda
A high-level panel forum, chaired by Prof. Ksenia Chmutina of Loughborough University, explored the theme "Beyond 2030: How Can the Community Shape the Next Global Agenda for Disaster Risk Reduction and Sustainable Development?" Prof. Yang also contributed to the panel discussion following her welcome address.
Prof. Malcolm Cook, Dean of the School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering, in his closing remarks, reaffirmed the School's commitment to the success IRDR ICoE-IDR.
IRDR ICoE-IDR will now proceed with implementing its strategic research plan, advancing integrated, informatics-driven solutions to build global resilience against natural hazards.
About IRDR ICoE-IDR
Designated as an IRDr ICoE in 2025, IRDR ICoE-IDR will serve as a globally recognised hub for advancing transdisciplinary disaster risk reduction research through cutting-edge informatics, digital innovation, international collaboration, and capacity development. The Centre provides a unique platform within the IRDR network for harnessing advances in informatics, including AI, data science, digital twins, Earth observation, and high-performance computing, to address increasingly complex and systemic disaster risks and to accelerate the translation of scientific knowledge into practical resilience solutions.
