Research and Knowledge Sharing
At the Centre for Disaster Preparedness, Recovery & Research (CDPRR), we work to advance disaster risk reduction (DRR) and recovery through careful research and knowledge sharing.
We carry out research studies, case analyses and evaluations to identify good practice, lessons learned and new solutions in DRR and recovery. Studying real situations and past disasters gives us practical insights that shape our approach to building resilience and improving preparedness.
We turn research findings into knowledge people can use. Through our publications, including reports, guidelines and policy briefs, we share this knowledge with stakeholders, policymakers and the public. Our aim is to support evidence-based decisions and the adoption of effective strategies in disaster management and response.
Organisations and communities that work with CDPRR on research and knowledge sharing gain access to current information, useful resources and a network of experts committed to resilience and sustainability.
CDPRR also offers specialised services in risk assessment and mapping, which are central to effective disaster risk reduction and recovery strategies.
What our disaster risk reduction research covers
Our disaster risk reduction research runs across several areas. On the hazard side it includes flood and sediment behaviour in Himalayan river systems, urban flooding, river erosion and the limits of structural protection. On the response side it covers CBRN preparedness, chemical industrial incidents, detection methods and medical readiness.
A third strand looks at recovery: what reconstruction choices do to future risk, and how recovery funding reaches the households that need it. Across all three, the method is the same. Study what actually happened, identify why the losses fell where they did, and set out what would have to change.
Case analysis and published work
Case studies are a large part of the work because they show the gap between a plan and what happens under pressure. Our analysis of the Mumbai Port Trust chlorine leak traced an emergency back to cylinders abandoned more than a decade earlier. Our work on the spatio-temporal epidemiology of COVID-19 in India mapped how district-level socio-economic conditions tracked the burden of the pandemic.
Research findings appear as papers, reports, guidelines and policy briefs, and are collected in our publications and articles and blogs sections. The aim is to put findings in front of the people who make decisions, in a form they can use.
Working with us on research
We work with government departments, universities, research laboratories and non-governmental organisations, and we welcome joint studies. Research commissioned by a client usually feeds directly into something practical: a risk assessment, a training programme or a recovery plan. To discuss a study or a collaboration, contact us.
The global framework this research supports is the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.