The European Union-funded COVALEX (Community of Valued Experts in Hydrometeorological and Technological Multi-Hazards) project aims to create a community of experts in hydrometeorological and technological disasters to capitalize on their experience and expand geographic coverage and diverse sectoral networks.
How does the project work?
Started in January 2023 and expected to end in December 2024, COVALEX brings together academics, practitioners, and policy makers involved in risk governance to build a community that can cooperate, in a multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral way, applying scientific knowledge to disaster risk management, with a focus on hydrometeorological and technological disasters, such as riverbank or bridge failure, or even industrial accidents. To strengthen knowledge exchange and communication, the project also includes dissemination and awareness-raising activities through a centralized platform.
What are the expected results?
- Upgrade the existing knowledge network and form a COVALEX thematic community which aggregates, exchanges, and disseminates knowledge, skills and applicable solutions
- Develop a pipeline of scenario-based capacity-development and applied science of activities on specific risks of hydrometeorological and technological multi-hazards disaster risks
- Deliver general guidelines and planning tools/action plans/evaluation reports and other analytical products to support all local communities and provide a framework for the pipeline of exercises
- Through the Knowledge Network online platform, collect, process, create, and disseminate information and knowledge using of Information Technology (IT) tools
What does CIMA Research Foundation do?
Within the project, CIMA Research Foundation will focus on interoperability exercises, particularly by developing a series of capacity development activities on specific hydrometeorological and wildfires disaster risks. Thus, our aim is to define an interoperable communication (IRC) that can be employed by the expert community and a general framework for scenario-based exercises; we will organize at least three training events (TTX) for practical application of decision-making, situational awareness, IRC communication, and leadership in the case of defined topic center scenarios.
