Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) is a decade-long, international interdisciplinary research program initiated and sponsored by the International Science Council (ISC) in partnership with the United Nations office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). It is a global initiative seeking to address the challenges brought by natural disasters, mitigate their impacts, and improve related policy-making mechanisms.
The first Integrated Research on Disaster Risk, International Centre of Excellence (IRDR ICoE) was established in Taipei in November 2010 at Academia Sinica (AS), and incorporated into the Center for Sustainability Science (CSS) in 2012. Under CSS's full support, ICoE-Taipei serves as an international interdisciplinary platform for 1) promoting integrated research comprehensively on disaster risk from both the natural and social science perspectives, 2) building an international partnership network of disaster reduction research, and 3) sharing the practical experiences in Taiwan among disaster early warning/responding/preparedness and preparation via international training courses, workshops and Advanced Institutes.
IRDR ICoE-Taipe Mission
The tasks of the ICoE-Taipei include:
● Exchange of scholars between research institutes
● Exchange of ideas and information
● Collaborative research and regional site study
● Education and training for young scientists
● Establish a partnership network of disaster reduction research
● Conduct international and domestic collaboration
IRDR ICoE-Taipei International Advisory Board (IAB) Meeting was set to be held annually for obtaining suggestions in strategic directions and future plans. The IAB members are all from international/academia reputable organizations and with great experiences in international collaboration, the ICoE-Taipei has actively participated in IRDR events and annual Science Committee Meeting.
The center of ICoE-Taipei emphasizes on capacity building for countries in Southeast Asia. We organized different training workshops (Advanced Institutes) particularly for younger/early career scientists and provided them with seed grants for initiating regional DRR theme projects especially within the Global South.
The center has kept close partnerships with UNDRR, ISC, Future Earth, START, and other international organizations for implementation as "action network" rather than simply research-based collaborations. Meanwhile, ICoE-Taipei has worked closely with governmental agencies and institutes (Academia Sinica, NCDR, CWB, NCREE etc.) and strengthened the capability in engagement as collaboration partners in regional site studies.
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