In a context of growing risks from anthropogenic and natural hazards faced by our society, the objective of the EU Disaster Resilient Society for Europe (DRS) security research activities is to support disaster risk management and governance through enhanced capacities, technologies for first responders and overall societal resilience. In this respect, new technologies, tools and methods are required to tackle different types of risks such as extreme weather events (floods, heat waves, storms, forest fires), geological hazards (earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions) and slow-onset hazards (sea-level rise), as well as industrial accidents and intentional man-made threats, in particular those related to CBRN-E (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive). Research outputs will contribute to reducing disaster risks that are regulated by numerous international, EU and national policies and strategies covering various sectors (civil protection, environment, climate change, health and security) and include features such as awareness raising, prevention, preparedness, monitoring and detection, response, and recovery.
To this end, the CERIS DRS platform will help to link different (international and EU) Disaster Risk Reduction policies while strengthening opportunities for transdisciplinary and trans-boundary joint efforts to organise and structure, with all the relevant actors (policymakers, scientists, practitioners, SMEs/industry, civil society). A new paradigm shift from managing ‘disasters’ to managing ‘risks’ needs to be supported by research and innovation actions. CERIS DRS events enable the exchange of information about innovative methods and solutions addressed to decision-makers and society in general (highlighting the citizen dimension), as well as information about technologies and tools to support first responders’ operations. These events improve synergies between research, capacity-building, demonstration and training projects as well as industrial developments in a cross-sectorial/disciplinary fashion. They cover the overall disaster risk management cycle (from prevention, preparedness to response and recovery) from local to international levels.